66 Mr .Syiuiiigton Grieve on tlte 



V. striata, on the other hand, is essentially an Ontario 

 species. The most puzzling of all the British American 

 species is the blue leafy-stemmed violet, which has been 

 mostly known to botanists as V. MulilenherQii, having been 

 named in honour of the American (Dutch) botanist of 

 that name. More recently it has been identified with the 

 V. canina of Europe. V. canina is an aggregate species, 

 embracing several very distinct segregates in Europe. The 

 only one of these which the plant resembles is V. sylvatica, 

 of Fries — the common dog violet of Western Europe. 



Although there is no plant in America corresponding to 

 the European forms canina (proper), lactea, or stagnina, 

 yet in the Far West, on both sides of the Rocky Mountains, 

 there is a remarkable ca^spitose form, viz., Albifiora of 

 Hooker's "Flora Boreali- Americana," which does not seem to 

 occur in Europe. The nearest European approach to it is 

 apparently the mountain and Arctic sub-species, Arenaria, 

 DC. V. rostrata belongs to the same group as V. canina,hut 

 is very distinct in appearance, and a larger and more hand- 

 some plant, yet almost the only technical character is the 

 greater length of the spur of the flower, and there is a form 

 intermediate in this respect. 



There is an Ontario species, occurring in the woods around 

 Kingston, Belleville, Toronto, &c. V. canadensis is more 

 abundant throughout Ontario ; it is the tallest of all the 

 violets, growing from 9 inches to 2 feet in height. 



The last is the leafy stipuled species, V. tricolor, the 

 original of the parti-coloured varieties of the garden pansy. 

 Its perennial form occurs in some places, but it is not 

 originally a native plant in America. 



Note on the Flora of Colonsay and Oransay, with List of 

 Plants collected in July 1879. By Symington Grieve. 



(Read 8tli April 1880.) 



The Island of Colonsay, one of the Lesser Hebrides, lies 

 out in the Atlantic, west of Jura, north of Islay, and 

 south of Mull. It is attached to the Island of Oransay at 

 low water, and, as far as the Flora is concerned, the two 

 islands may be almost considered the same. The length of 



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