BLUE AND PURPLE 



It seems as if no other flower were so suggestive of the dawning 

 year, so associated with the days when hfe was full of promise. 

 Although I believe that more than a hundred si:)ecies of violets 

 have been recorded, only about thirty are found in our country ; 

 of these perhaps twenty are native to the Northeastern States. 

 Unfortunately we have no strongly sweet-scented species, none 



** sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes 



Or Cytherea's breath, — " 



as Shakespeare found the English blossom. Prophets and war- 

 riors as well as poets have favored the violet ; Mahomet preferred 

 it to all other flowers, and it was chosen by the Bonapartes as 

 their emblem. 



Perhaps its frequent mention by ancient writers is explained 

 by the discovery that the name was once applied somewhat indis- 

 criminately to sweet-scented blossoms. J-u^.^ -i, i f • ^ 



The bird-foot violet, V.pedata (Plate CXXVII), unlike other 

 members of the family, has leaves which are divided into linear 

 lobes. Its flower is peculiarly lovely, being large and velvety. 

 The variety, V. bicolor, is especially striking and pansy-like, its 

 two upper petals being of a deeper hue than the others. It is 

 found in the neighborhood of Washington in abundance, and 

 on the shaly soil of New Jersey. 



An interesting feature of many of these plants is their cleis- 

 togamous flowers. These are small and inconspicuous blossoms, 

 which never open (thus guarding their pollen against all depreda- 

 tions), but which are self-fertilized, ripening their seeds in the 

 dark. They are usually found near or beneath the ground, and 

 are often taken for immature buds. 



it 



DOG VIOLET. 



Viola canina ; var. Mtihlenbergii. Violet Family. 



Three to eight inches high. Stems. — Leafy. Leaves. — Heart-shaped; 

 wavy-toothed. Flozvers. — Pale violet. 



This is the commonest blue species of the leafy-stemmed vio- 

 lets. It is found in wet, shady places from May till July. 



273 



