VIOLACEAE. . 233 



1. H. scoparium Nutt. (Rock-rose.) Stems tufted, slender, 

 somewhat woody below, sparsely stellate-pubescent, 2.5-3.5 dm. 

 high; leaves few, narrowly linear, 8-20 cm. long; flowers on slender 

 pedicels, solitary or cymose at the ends of the branches; sepals 

 6 mm. long, acuminate, the 2 outer linear and much shorter; petals 

 6-8 mm. long; stamens about 20; capsule equaling the calyx. 



Frequent on dry ridges in the chaparral belt of all the mountains 

 and foothills. 



H. ALDERSONii Greene. A larger, nearly glabrous plant, with 

 petals 10-15 mm. long. 



Common in the foothills of San Diego County. 



Family 67. VIOLACEAE. Violet Family. 



Ours herbs with alternate or basal simple entire or 

 lobed leaves, and axillary or scapose usually solitary 

 perfect irregular flowers. Sepals 5, unequal. Petals 

 5, hypogynous, imbricated in the bud, the lower one 

 spurred. Perfect stamens 5, hypogynous; anthers erect, 

 connivent in a ring, sessile or on short filaments. Ovary 

 1, 1-celled, with 3 parietal placentae; style simple. Cap- 

 sule dehiscent by valves. Seeds anatropous with a 

 crustaceous testa; embryo straight; endosperm copious. 



1. VIOLA L. Violet. 



Characters of the family. The later flowers often are 

 produced on runners or on short peduncles, and apetalous 

 or cleistogamous and abundantly fertile, while the early 

 showy ones are often sterile. 



Flowers white or blue. 



Leaves crenate; flowers blue, rarely white. 1. V. cucuUata. 

 Leaves entire; flowers white with purple 



veins. 2. V. blanda. 



Flowers yellow. 



Leaves crenate. 3. V. pedunculata. 



Leaves lobed or dissected. 



Leaves palmately cleft. 4. V. lohata. 



Leaves bipinnately dissected. 5. V. donglasii. 



1. V. cucuUata Ait. Acaulescent, the leaves and scapes directly 

 from rather short and thick rootstocks, glabrous or somewhat villous- 

 pubescent; leaves rounded-cordate, reniform or hastate-reniform, 

 the basal sides often cucullate-involute; corolla only saccate-spurred, 

 blue or violet-purple, rarely white; lateral petals bearded toward 

 the base; style gibbous-clavate, beardless at summit. 



In swamp-lands about Los Angeles, according to Davidson; San 

 Bernardino, Parish. 



