Violets and Pansies 99 
material, and sends out rooting runners. From the 
joints of these runners flower-buds are produced, but 
they never expand; sometimes there are minute green 
petals, but more often no petals at all. There is 
no honey, no scent, no colour other than green, 
but there is an ovary and stigma, with a couple 
of stamens producing only a little pollen. The 
anthers le over the stigmas, and the pollen-shoots 
actually penetrate it without leaving the anther, 
and as the ovary develops, the stamens are dragged 
from their former attachment and carried up with it. 
Every seed-egg in the ovary appears to be fertilised 
in this way, and in due time you may find abundant 
seed-capsules upon the Violet-plant that the bees 
ignored, and you may watch the clever way in 
which she distributes her seeds to a distance, so 
that the seedlings may not overcrowd her, or one 
another. 
The seed-vessel splits into three valves corre- 
sponding with the three carpels of which it was 
composed, and these lie far 
apart, with the glossy seeds 
in the middle of each, in 
order that they may become 
harder. Then each valve 
begins to fold as though 
the middle were hinged, 
and the two edges are 
brought near together. 
The pressure is increased until one after the 
other the hard shiny seeds are shot out with 
great force to a distance of several yards, where 
their smoothness enables them to sink readily 
Full of seeds Seeds discharged 
Violet Capsule 
