Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. 399 



be in racemes as in the other species. The seeds approach in appearance 

 those of 0. lophosperma, Kurz, but are more tuberculate. 



Besides the forej^oing, tliere are in the Calcutta Herbarium specimens 

 from Perak (King's Collector No. 818) of a Cra/aeua with leaves and 

 flowers like 0. Narvala, Ham. It is, however, described as having a 

 thorny stem, — a cluiracter, so far as I am aware, not known in this genus. 

 This is probably a new species, but, in the absence of fruit, I do not 

 venture to describe it. The seeds appear to me to afford in this variable 

 genus safer characters than any other part. 



Order VIII. Violace.!:. 



Herbs or shrubs. Leaves alternate, entire or serrulate, stipulate. 

 Flowers regular or irregular, 2-biacteolate. Sepals 5, persistent, equal 

 or unequal, imbricate in bud. Fttals 5, hypogynous, equal or unequal, 

 iml)ricate or contorted in bud. Stamens 5, filaments short, broad ; 

 anthers free or connate, their cells often with apical processes ; connec- 

 tive broad, produced beyond tlie cells. Ovary sessile, 1-celled ; style 

 simple; stigma capitate truncate or cupnlar, entire or lobed ; ovules 

 many, on 3 parietal placentas, anatropous. Fruit a 3-valved capsule. 

 Seeds small, albumen fleshy ; embryo straight, cotyledons flat. — Distrib. 

 Genera 21, species 240; natives of temp, and trop. regions. 



Tribe I. Violeoe. Corolla irregular ; lower petal dissimilar. Stami- 

 nodes 0. Capsule loculicidal. 



Sepals produced at the base ... ... 1, Viola. 



Tr'ihe \I. Alsodeieoe. Corolla regular. StamiiiodesO. i'^yux^ a loculi- 

 cidal capsule. 



2. Alsodeia. 



1. Viola, Linn. 



Herbs, rai'ely shrubby below. Flowers on 1- rarely 2-flowered 

 peduncles, often dimorphic, some large-petalled which ripen few seeds, 

 others small petalled or apetalous and very prolific. Sepals produced at 

 the base. Petals erect or spreading ; lower largest, spurred or saccate 

 at the base. A^ithers connate, connectives of two lower often spurred 

 at the base. Style clavate or truncate, tip straight or oblique ; stigma 

 obtuse, lobed or cupular. Capsule 3-valved. Seeds ovoid or globose, — 

 Distrib. Species about 100, all temp, regions. 



V. SERPENS, Wall, in Roxb. Fl. Ind. Ed. Wall. ii. U9 (not of Cat.), 

 and DC. Prodr. i. 296 ; hirsute or glabrous, stolons or stems usually 

 long, leafy and flowering; leaves ovate-cordate, obtuse or acute, creuate- 

 serrate ; stipules toothed or fimbriate, spur saccate ; sepals acute ; capsules 



43 



