3J4 VIOLA. [CLASS V. ORDER I. 



abundant. Stiyma five, sessile, united logelhev into a cone-shape. 

 Fruit a long pointed capsule, of five cells, with thin membranous 

 divisions around the central placenta, having five valves, separating 

 from the base to the apex, curling themselves suddenly when ripe by 

 the least agitation, and throwing the seeds for some distance. tSeeds 

 numerous, ovate, suspended in the capsule, without albumen, having a 

 straight embryo, with a superior radicle. 



Habitat. — Moist shady woods ; rare. Fountain's Abbey, and other 

 places in Yorkshire; Westmoreland ; Guildford, Surrey. — Rev. J. 

 Jenyns. Abundant in a wet glen at Castlemilk, near Glasgow. — 

 Mr. Hopkirk. 



Annual; flowering in July and August. 



The whole plant possesses a degree of acridity, from which circum- 

 stance it is by no means a food palatable to most cattle. The structure 

 of its flowers, and particularly its capsules, are worthy of minute 

 examination ; for when they are quite ripe, the least motion of the 

 plant, more especially when the sun is upon them, causes the elastic 

 power which they possess to separate the valves at the base, and 

 suddenly rolling or rather curling up throw the seeds some distance 

 from them, a circumstance which is thus noticed by Darwin in his 

 Botanical Garden, and this is the reason that it bears the common 

 name of Touch-me-not, by which it i« known. 



" With fierce distracted eye Impatiens stands, 

 Swells her pale cheeks and brandishes her hands ; 

 With rage and hate the astonished groves alarms, 

 And hurls her infants from her frantic arms." 



GENUS XXXVIII. VIO'LA.— Linn. Violel. 

 Nat. Ord. Viola'ce^. De Cand. 



Gen. Char. Calyx of five sepals, unequal and apendiculated at the 

 base. Petals unequal, the lower one spurred at the base. Stamens 

 vi'nh dilsilcijilaments. The «H^/je>\? united around the pistil, the 

 two lower ones with processes at the base. Capsule of one cell, 

 opening with three elastic valves. — The derivation of this n.ime 

 is variously stated ; the most probable one appeal's to be from 

 »ov, as it is said to have been first noticed at Ionia. 

 * Stemless, or nearly so. 

 1. V. hir'ta, Linn. (Fig. 384.) hairy Violet. Leaves heart-shaped, 



downy above, beneath and the petioles hairy. Calyx sepals obtuse, 



lateral petals with a hairy central line. Capsule hairy, upon a prostrate 



peduncle without runneis. 



