64 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 
The Sweet Violet is never more than six inches in 
height. Flowers may be found in March up till 
May. 
The pistil is situated some distance from the 
lower petal, and is pushed up by an insect, which 
inserts its head below the stigma. A visitor parts 
the ring of anthers, and covers its proboscis with 
pollen. The honey is protected from the rain by the 
pendulous position of the flowers. The pollen lies 
between the pistil and free ends of the stamens, being 
loose and dry. The style, being slenderer at the base, 
is easily bent by the insect in its effort to reach the 
honey. It is visited by bees, flies, the Tortoise-shell 
Butterfly, and the Brimstone. 
There are two kinds of flowers—one large, one 
small—the former much visited by insects, whilst in 
the other the corolla is rudimentary. The flowers 
in this case are cleistogamic, and are self-fertilised. 
The latter are autumnal, and look more like buds, 
hanging down upon the ground. When ripe the 
capsule, by tension of the valves, bursts and scatters 
the seeds. 
Laertes wishes Violets may spring from Ophelia’s 
grave : 
“* Lay her in the earth, 
And from her fair and unpolluted flesh 
May Violets spring.” 
There was a superstition that if you dreamt of 
violets you would receive some advancement in life. 
