VIOLACE.'E, 51 



grounds. Stem about a foot high, with 'I, winged angles and opposite branch- 

 es. Leaves linear-oblong, obtuse, smooth, with obscure resinous dots. Cal- 

 ycine wings cordate, acute, purple. Corolla beardless, greenish purple. Jl. 

 Aug. Ann. Cross-leaved Polygala. 



ORDER XVI il. VIOL ACE.E. The vhut Tribe. 



Cal— Sepals 5, persistent, slightly united, elongated at base, the two lateral interior. 

 Cor.— Petals 5, commonly unequal, the inferior usually spurred at base. 

 Sta.—5. inserted on the hyposry-nous disk. Fil. dilated, prolonsred beyond the anthers. 

 Ova.— be 3 united carpels, with 3 parietal placentae. Stij. 1, declinate. Stig. cucuUate. 

 Ft.— A 3-valved capsule. S'Js. many, with a crustaceous testa and distnict chalaza. 



A small order of shrubs and herbs, mostly inhabitants of the Northern Temperate Zone. 

 The roots of almost all the Violaceae possess emetic properties, and some are valiied m 

 medicine. The Ipecac of the shops is partly the product of certain Brazilian species ot 

 lonidium. Several species of the violet are cultivated for the beauty of their flowers. Of 

 die 4 genera found in N. America only 2 are found in the Northern States. 



Genera. 



Sepals unequal, more or less auricled at base, Viola. 1 



Sepals nearly equal, not auricied, Solea. i 



1 . V I' O L A . 

 Sepals 5, unequal, auricular at base; corolla of 5 petals, ir- 

 regular, the upper one spurred at base; anther connate, the 

 lobes diverging at base; capsule 1-celled, 3-valved. 



The Greek name of this beautiful genus is io», from lai, the name of a cer- 

 tain cow, which according to a ridiculous iable fed upon the Violet. Cal. of 

 5 oblong, acute, equal, erect sepals, produced downwards beyond their inser- 

 tion, 2 of them under the uppermost petal, one under each lateral petal, and 

 one under the two lower. Cor. irregular, the upper petal broadest, slightly 

 cleft, eeding at base in a curved spur projecting between the leaves of the 

 calyx ; tvvolateral petal's opposite, equal, obtuse. Seeds several in each cell, 

 attached to the valves. Low, herbaceous, perennial plants, with a short sub- 

 terraneous stem or rhizoina, or caulescent. Peduncles angular, solitary, 1- 

 flowered, recurved at the summit, so as to bear the flower in a resupinate 

 position. 



* Acaulescent. Flowers blue. 



1. V. .SeLKI'RKII. Goldie. 



Leaves cordate, crenately serrate, minutely hirsute above, smooth beneath, 

 the sinus deep and nearly closed ; stigma triangular, margined, distinctly 

 beaked; spur nearly as long as the lamina, thick, very obtuse. Grows on 

 woody hills and mountains. A small stemless violet, with small pale blue 

 flowers conspicuously spurred. The radical heart-shaped leaves are rather 

 numerous and longer than the peduncles. Tlje lateral petals bearded, and 

 with the upper one striate with deep blue. Selkirk's Violet. 



2. V. cuculla'ta. 



Very smooth; leaves cordate, cucullate at base, crenate; stipules linear; 

 inferior and lateral petals bearded. This is one of the more common kinds of 

 violet, found in low, grassy g;rounds. Leaves on long petioles heart-shaped, 

 remarkably rolled at the base into a hooded form. The late leaves are crenate- 

 yepiforra. Flowers light blue or purple, with scapes somewhat 4-sided, longer 



