228 ON SOME BRITISH VIOLA FORMS. 



the ordinary, or of the later, micropetalous flowers. Twice, also, in 

 one of those years, I examined a plant I had given to Mr. Arthu^ 

 Bennett, and which has been growing in his garden since 1883, 

 with the same result. I have also grown the plant at Reigate for 

 several years. Not only is no seed produced, but among the many 

 hundreds of flowers I have examined, I have not seen a single 

 instance in which the capsule had begun to swell. That frequent 

 concomitant of sterile hybrids — an abnormally-developed vegetative 

 activity — is seen in this plant in a marked degree, as indeed it is in 

 all those Viola hybrids I have had the opportunity of observing. 

 One plant was a beautiful sight, producing somewhere about 100 

 stems, and forming literally a small bush, covered with pale blue 

 blossoms. I took some 60 flowering steins from this plant, leaving 

 some 30 or 40 remaining for the purpose of testing it as to sterility. 

 This was, of course, a somewhat exceptional plant, growing in a 

 favoured position ; but where the plant grows side by side with 

 lactea in a less sheltered position, the same difference of habit is 

 present, though less strongly marked. 



V. LACTEA Smith. — Mr. Archer Briggs (' Fl. Plymouth,' p. 41) is 

 disposed to regard this as a variety of V. canina. If my statement 

 as to the probable origin of the var. intermedia commends itself to 

 that gentleman, I believe that he, and thosf^ who think with him on 

 this point, will no longer find great difficulty in recognising the two 

 as distinct species. There are several minor but constant characters 

 which separate the two ; then, Y. lactea is not a Scandinavian 

 plant ; and although V. canina is a variable species in that region, 

 y«t none of its Scandinavian forms show any particular approach to 

 V. lactea. 



V. CANINA X STAGNiNA. — 111 1885 Mr. Alfred Fryer sent me a 

 handsome Viola from Key's Corner, Chatteris, Cambs., to which 

 was appended the following note: — "Probably a new species to 

 Britain." I identified this plant as being, to the best of my belief, 

 V. stricta Koch Syn., and subsequently sent specimens to Dr. 

 Nordstedt, who kindly passed them on to Herr Murbeck, with whom 

 at that time I was not acquainted. The latter reported to the 

 effect that the plant was the hybrid V. canina x starpiina, the F. 

 stricta of Koch in part ; but that the latter probably included other 

 hybrids of canina. In the Fasciculus the synonymy " V. stricta 

 Wimm., Koch, &c.," is given; and it may be added that it is the 

 V. stricta of Nyman Consp., at least in part, but not of Hornemann. 

 Since that time I have, by Mr. Fryer's kindness, received many 

 examples of the fenland plant, which is certainly identical with the 

 Swedish, of which I also possess a good series. Specimens were 

 sent to the Botanical Exchange Club, and were referred (see 1885 

 Report) to V. lactea by Prof. Babington. Mr. Fryer also informs 

 me that it is the usual " lactea"' of the Fens. " The plant in question 

 in reality bears but small resemblance to typical V. lactea, which 

 has leaves truncate or even wedge-shaped at the base ; while in this 

 hybrid, besides being of a different shape, they are more deeply 

 cordate than in ordinary canina. The flowers and stipules are also 

 very different. The leaves of the ''lactea var. intermedia'' do, 



