Viola. XVII. VIOLACE^. 173 



roc. terminal and lateral ; jls. sessile, those of the stem winged, those of the root 

 apterous.— 7]- Fields and pastures, Can. to Flor. and La. Stems crowded, 

 many from the same root, angular, smooth. Leaves smooth, lower obovate| 

 upper linear-lanceolate, obtuse, sessile. Flowers, crested, purple, smaller than 

 the last. Wings of the calyx obtuse. Anthers 8, 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. 



* * * Flawers large, feio. 



10. P. PAUCiFOLiA. Fringed Polygala. 



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

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

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

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

 Calyx of 5 leaves, the upper one gibbous at base. Corolla mostly purple, with 

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

 groTmd or subterraneous, smaller, greenish, wanting the wings of the calyx. May. 



Order XVII. VIOLACEiE.— Violets. 



Plants herbaceous or shrubby. 



Lv8. simple, alternate, sometimes opposite, stipulate, involute in vernation. 



C'aZ.— Sepals 5, persistent, slightly united, elongated at base, the 2 lateral interior. 



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



Sta. 5, usually inserted on the hypoeynous disk. Fit. dilated, prolonged beyond the anth. 



Ova. of 3 united carpels, with 3 parietal placenta. Sty. l, declinate. Stig. cucuilate. 



Ft. a 3-valved capsule. Srf-s. many, with a crustaceous testa and distinct chalaza. 



Genera 11, species 300, mostly inhabitants of the Northern Temperate Zone. The roota of almoet all 

 the Violaceae 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 

 SUtes. 



Genera. 



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



Sepals nearly equal, not aiu-icled at base. Solid. 2 



1. VI Ola. 



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

 the upper one (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. — % Loio herbaceous plants., acaulesccnt or caulescent. Pe- 

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

 thejiowers in a resujpinate position. 



* Acaulesccnt. FUnoers blue. 



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



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

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

 sjnir nearly as long as the lamina, thick, very obtuse. — 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. cucui.LATA. Ait. (V. aflinis. Le Conte.) Huod-leaved Violet. 

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



base, crenate; slip, 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 b;i.sc 

 into a hooded form. The late leaves are crenate-reniform. Flowers light blue 

 or purple, with scapes somewhat 4-sided, longer than the leaves. Petals twisted, 



