Viola. XVII. VIOLACEiE. 175 



roc. terminal and lateral; jh. sessile, those of the stem winded, those of the root 

 apterous. — %. Fields and pastures, Can. to f^lor. and La. Stems crowded, 

 many Iroiu the same root, an^'iilar, smooth. Leaves smouth, lower obovate, 

 upper linear-lanceolate, obiusL-, .sessile. Flowers, crested, i)urj)le, smaller than 

 the last. Wings ol the calyx obtuse. Anthers y, in 2 equal parcels. Bracts 

 small, subulate, caducous. Terminal racemes with perfect flowers, radical 

 racemes prostrate or subterraneous, wingless and nearly apetalous. Jn. Jl. — 

 Bitter and tonic. 



♦ * * Flawcrs large, few. 



10. P. PAUCiFOLiA. ri-inged Poltjgala. 



St. simple, erect, naked below ; Lvs. ovate, acute, smooth ; terminal fis. 

 large, crested, radical ones apterous. — % A small, handsome plant, with a lew 

 rather large purple flowers. Woods and swamps, Brit. Am. to Ga. Stems 

 3 — 1' high, with its acute leaves mostly near the top, '2 — 4 flowers above them. 

 Calyx ol 5 leaves, the upper one^ibbous at base. Corolla mostly purple, with 

 a purplish crest on its middle loM The radical flowers are either close to the 

 gromid or subterraneous, smaller, greenish, wanting the wings oi the calyx. May. 



Order XVII. VIOLACE^.— Violets. 



Plants herbaceous or shrubby. 



Lvs. simple, alternate, sometimes opposite, stipulate, involute in vernation. 



Go/.— Sepals 5, persistent, slightly luuted, elongated at base, the 2 lateral interior. 



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



Sta. 5, usually inserted on the hyposynous disk. Fil. dilated, prolonged beyond the antn. 



Ova. of 3 united carnels, with 3 parietal placenta?. Sfij. 1, decimate. Stig: cucullate. 



Fr. a 3-valved ciipsule. Sds. many, with a cruslaceous testa and distinct chalaza. 



Genera 11, species 300, mostly inhabitants of the Northern Temperate Zone. The roots of almost all 

 the Violacea? possess emetic properties, and some are valued in medicine. The Ipecac of the shops is 

 partly the product of certain Brazilian species of lonidium. Several species of the violet are cultivated 

 for the beauty of their flowers. Of the 4 genera found in North America, only 2 are found in the Northern 

 States. 



Genera. 



Sepals unequal, more or less auricled at base Ff ^"- ^ 



Sepals nearly equal, not auricled at base. bolea. 2 



1. VI Ola. 



Sepals 5, oblong, acute, equal, auricular at base ; petals 5, irregular, 

 the upper oue (lower by resupination) broadest, spurred at base, the 

 2 lateral equal, opposite ; stamens approximate ; anthers connate, the 

 lobes diverging at base; capsule 1 -celled, 3-valved, seeds attached to 

 the valves. — '4- Low herbaceous plarils, acaulescent or caulescent. Pe- 

 duncles angular., solitary., l-Jioivered, recurved at the summit so as to bear 

 thcjiowers in a resupinate position. 



* Acaulescent. Flowers blue. 



1. V. Sklkirkii. Goldie. Selkirk's Violet. 



Lvs. cordate, crenately serrate, minutely hirsute above, smooth beneath ; 

 the sinus deep and nearly closed ; slig. triangular, margined, distinctly beaked ; 

 spur nearly as long as the lamina, thick, very obtu.se. — Grows on woody hills 

 and mountains, Mass., N. Y., Can. A small, stemless violet, with .small pale 

 blue flowers conspicuously spurred. The radical, heart-shaped -leaves are 

 rather numerous and longer than the peduncles. The lateral petals bearded, 

 and with the upper one striate with deep blue. 



2. V. cucuLLATA. Ait. (V. affinis. Le Conte.) Hood-leaved Violet. 

 Smooth, sometimes more or less pubescent ; lvs. cordate, cucullate at 



base, crenate; stip. linear; inferior and lateral petals bearded. — This is one of 

 the more common kinds of violet, found in low, grassy woods, from Arctic Am. 

 to Flor. Leaves on long petioles, heart-shaped, remarkably rolled at the base 

 into a hooded form. The late leaves are crenatc-renilbrm. Flowers light blue 

 or purple, with scapes somewhat -l-sided, longer than the leaves. Petals twisted, 



