i6 



i-i.owj'.Rs ()!• '11 n-: iii.i.Ds and mkadows 



established itscll. lis ])n'scnl (lis])crsai is no thniltl due in a measure 

 to the former practice of iisiiii^ the ])laiu lor Lirowinu,' in ])()ts indoors 

 (hence the Latin s[K-cific name). 



The J ).ime's \'if)lel is found in meadows olien in or near thirkels, 

 but selilom verv far away from iiouscts or gardens. It may, when the 

 seeds ha\e l)een carried downstream or dispersed by Ijirds, lie found 

 in moist valleys in the west, as .Shropshire, in some abundance, but 

 as a rule its occurrence coincides with haljitation. 



< )f neat habit. Dame's 

 \ iolel lias a stout stem, 

 erect, branched at the top 

 only, with linear-lanceolate 

 lca\(.*s, which are alter- 

 nate, entire, and .slij^htly 

 toothed, trivinLJ it a com- 

 pact habit, which with its 

 height i_;i\es it an air of 

 !_;"race, added to whiih iht; 

 fragrance of the flowers 

 at night (hence the first 

 Latin name) siii-rounds 

 the plant with jjleasant 

 memories. 



The flowers are of a 

 deep lilac or white tint, 

 and large, the sepals being 

 erect. The petals are 

 blunt at the tip with a 

 .) claw or stalk. The pods 



are long" siliqucc, which 

 flowering branches are spreading. 

 The valves are flat on the sides, ribbed or keeled, with three nerves, 

 and there are numerous margined seeds. The pods have divisions 

 or are knotted. 



The plant is often 2 to 3 ft. high. It is usually in flower from 

 May to August. Dame's X'iolet is perennial (according to many 

 biennial), and is a deciduous, herbaceous plant increased by division. 



As the Latin name implies it is especially odoriferous in the 

 evening, and therefore is probal^ly usually fertilized by moths, although 

 it is visited by day by insects such as the hive bee. Large White 

 Butterfly {/'nris brassicer), -Small White liutterfly (P. rapcc), Green- 



[)AMI;'S \'ll)I.KT \IliSp, 



are erect and round, 



the 



