803 



Violce canina (of Authors). These violets are the most numerous 

 among the specimens for particular comment, — not as novelties, in- 

 deed, but as examples to illustrate and elucidate what has been greatly 

 confused and misunderstood. In a paper printed in the ' Phytolo- 

 gist' for September last, J distinguished the British violets that have 

 passed under the name of " canina," into three apparent species 

 (Phytol. iii. 638), denominated those of Gerarde, of Dillenius, and of 

 Smith. The first of these three is abundantly common in England, 

 and is known to every botanist ; the second is probably frequent, in- 

 cluding forms of varied luxuriance which have been variously named; 

 the third I suppose to be quite rare comparatively with the other two. 



Viola {canina) sylvatica (Fries). The first species, or Gerarde 1 s 

 violet, has never been distributed from the Society, simply because it 

 is everywhere common in England. Nevertheless, in the course of 

 last summer I became well convinced that it would be necessary to 

 distribute correctly labelled examples of this very common species, 

 in order that the members of the Society might clearly understand to 

 which of the Canine violets the name of "sylvatica" is applied cor- 

 rectly. I label my examples of Gerarde 1 s violet under the two names 

 of" Viola sylvatica, Fries, — V. canina, Sm." These two names may 

 be taken as synonymous, although doubtless Smith would have ap- 

 plied the name of" canina " equally to the larger examples of the se- 

 cond species. Most of my specimens are in their autumnal state, the 

 season being far advanced before I felt the necessity for distributing 

 this species along with the next, in order to make both be understood 

 by comparisons. The dwarf form of V. sylvatica, which the late Mr. 

 E. Forster mistook for (or, perhaps, more strictly, mingled and con- 

 fused with) Smith's Viola flavicornis, I must hope to procure for dis- 

 tribution in the spring of 1850 ; having been too late for it in 1849. 



Viola {canina) flavicornis (Smith). The second species, or Dil- 

 lenius' s violet, was distributed by the Society in the last and preced- 

 ing years, from Claygate, in Surrey, from Tiptree Heath, in Essex, 

 from the sand-hills near New Brighton, on the coast of Cheshire, and 

 sparingly from some few other localities. The numerous specimens 

 for distribution in 1850, are partly from my own neighbourhood in 

 Surrey, collected about Esher and Claygate ; and partly from New 

 Brighton, collected by Mr. Francis Brent and Mr. Thomas Sansom. 

 I think that the specimens from Surrey and Cheshire will equally be 

 referred to the species first distinguished, in this country, from V. ca- 

 nina-sylvatica, by Dillenius ; although both he and Smith appear to 

 have erroneously supposed that their species (V. flavicornis) was 



