312 ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



of the dull of the apices in imperfedt 

 plants, where it does not appear ; fince 

 the contrary is demonftrated in the moft 

 perfedl of the vegetable kingdom. 



55. I noticed above, that feveral argu- 

 ments might be taken from the fructifica- 

 tion of fome of the moft compleat plants: 

 And the author of the femlna mufcorum * 

 gives fome inftances, and anlwers them; 

 how fatisfyingly, I leave the reader to ex- 

 amine. Only, fince there are three fpecies 

 of the 'uiola, I (hall add a fourth, 'uiz* 

 'uiola martia purpurea Jlore fimplici odoro 

 B. p. 199. or common March violet. This 

 plant puts out its flowers with the ftami- 

 na in March, on long foot-ftalks; no 

 fruit fucceeds them, nor appears for fome 

 weeks, yea, months, when clofe on the 

 root, and well covered with the leaves, 

 the fruit is formed, foon ripens, and con- 

 tains plenty of feeds ; tho' all the flowers 

 were plucked in March. Does either tern- 

 pus or proportio here confirm the fexual 

 fcheme ? 



56. To 



* F. 186, &c. 



