672 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Oct., 



usually nearly triangular, 20 x 25 mm., rather coarsely crenate, 

 glabrous; petioles 40-50 mm., glabrous. 



Later specimens, Sherwood, April 29, 1903. No. 5,104, Herb. W. S. 

 Scapes 70-100 mm. Leaves 30 x 40, wider at base and more attenuate 

 at apex, cucullate and coarsely crenate, petioles 60-90 mm. A few 

 cleistogenes present on scapes 25 mm. long. 



Fruiting plants, Sherwood, June 17, 1903. No. 5,105, Herb. W. S. 

 Leaves 70 x 80, coarsely and irregularly crenate-dentate, sometimes 

 with very minute silvery hairs scattered on the veins above; petioles 

 160 mm., glabrous. Cleistogenes obliquely ascending or later deflexed, 

 peduncles not more than 50 mm. long. 



This species is well characterized by its general slenderness, thin, 

 glabrous leaves, with coarsely crenate margins and pale jElowers. At 

 Sherwood it grows with V. villosa cordifolia and V. palmata dilatata 

 in about equal abundance, and the three can be distinguished at a 

 glance by foliage alone — V. ajjinis always glabrous, V. villosa cordi- 

 folia almost hispid-pubescent above, but glabrous beneath and on the 

 petioles, and V. p. dilatata pubescent all over. 



I would strongly advocate the use of Le Conte's name afflnis for this 

 violet. We not only know that this is what he had in view, but the 

 name has been conceded to this species ever since its resurrection until 

 ^Ir. Pollard, in Britton's Manual, foisted the old much-abused name 

 obliqua of Hill upon it. Nobody knows what Hill's obliqua is, and the 

 fact that no two persons seem to agree is argument enough that it 

 should be discarded as unrecognizable along with cor data Walter and 

 some others. Many other old names are difficult to identify with cer- 

 tainty, but where successive authorities have been in general agree- 

 ment there is strong ground for their retention. To illustrate a little 

 of the obscurity that surrounds obliqua of Hill, we may state that in 

 1896 Mr. Pollard applied it to V. ciicuUata + papilionacea. In 1898 

 he applied it to some form that he regarded distinct from either; then 

 it was alloted to V. papilionacea, and now is again transferred to afjinis. 

 In marked contrast to his later views Mr. Pollard, when making his 

 first application of the name, states that the species "is so well figured 

 as to leave not the slightest doubt concerning the plant to which it 

 refers." Prof. Greene, on the other hand, says "it does not half 

 represent any violet that ever grew in any country," and calls atten- 

 tion to the fact that Pursh thought it applied to V. blanda, while Gray 

 at one time suspected it to be V. rotundifolia! I give these opinions 

 of V. obliqua simply to show the futility of attempting to use it in any 

 sense. 



