35 



Biol; IX. p. 735, et PI. Chin, in Act. Hort. Petrop. XL p. 61 ; Franch. 

 PI. David. I. p. 43 ; Forbes et Hemsl. in Journ. Linn. Soc. XXIIL p. 52 ; 

 Henrj', List PI. Fonnos. p. 18; Diels, Fl. Cent.-Chin. in Engler's Bot. 

 Jahrb. XXIX. p. 477. 



Viola tenuis Benth. in ' Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. I. (1842) p. 482,' 

 Perennial, caulescent, estoloniferous, pallid-green. Khizome not long, 

 erect or ascending, rooting ; roots slender, with delicate slender rootlets, 

 white. Main stem erect, short or inconspicuous ; branches floriferous and 

 foliiferous, loosely tufted, simple, ascending or decumbent, axillary to radical 

 leaves, few to several, terete, glabrous or sparsely pilose with white patent 

 hairs along one side, viridescent and sometimes with a purple shade, at- 

 taining about 8 cm. long in flower, but afterwards much decumbent and 

 diflfuse, stolon-like, attaining about 20 cm. in length, slender, loosely with 

 alternate leaves below and also with a tuft of leaves and short-pedicel- 

 late cleistogamous flowers at the apex, whence rooting in autumn as to 

 form an independent stock. Leaves petiolate, ciliated and sparsely pilose 

 with white hairs above, nearly glabrous beneath, membranaceous, wholly 

 green ; radical ones tufted, elliptical to ova to- elliptical, obtuse at the apex, 

 rounded and decurrent to the petiole at the base, regularly crenate, attain- 

 ing about 3 cm. long, 2 cm. broad in flower, but afterwards attaining about 

 7^cm. long, 4|cm. broad, the midrib prominent beneath as are delicate and 

 erect-patent veins 3-6 on each side and pinnately disposed ; cauline ones 

 smaller, loosely alternate below, but closely placed towards the apex ; petiole 

 shorter or longer than the blade, conspicuously winged, ciliated with white 

 patent pilose hairs, after flower attaining 8^ cm. in length ; stipules adnate 

 in basal portion, thinly membranaceous, pale-viridescent, subulato-lanceolate, 

 acuminate, ciliato-fimbriate, 6-12 mm. long. Peduncles radical and in 

 the axils of cauline leaves, arising above the leaves, erect or ascending, 

 gracile, sparsely pilose with patent hairs below, glabrous above, bracteolate 

 in the middle or above it but in cauline ones often below it, light green, 

 about 3-7 cm. long in flower ; bracteoles 2, opposite or somewhat remotely 

 placed, linear or subulato-linear, acuminate, herbaceous, thinly ciliated on 

 margins, pauci-glandular-dentate on the basal margins, 3-7 mm. long. 

 Flowers small, 10-12 mm. across, light violaceous. Sepals ovato-lanceolate 

 or lanceolate, acuminato-acute, membranaceous, glabrous or very thinly 

 pilose, thinly ciliated on margins, 3-nerved, without veinlet, viridescent, 

 6-Q mm. long ; basal auricules short, subtruncato-semiorbicular, sometimes 

 crenulate in the superior one, slightly ciliated. Petals beardless, the upper 

 one obovate and lateral ones oblong-obovate, rounded at the apex, much 



