VIOLETS 369 



XXI. VIOLACEJ3. VIOLET FAMILY. 



Ours herbs with or without stems, and simple, entire or cleft leaves, 

 radical or alternate, with stipules: flowers showy, irregular, solitary 

 on peduncles; sepals persistent; petals unequal, the lower one larger 

 or spurred at base; stamens with filaments short, broad, continued 

 beyond the anthers, usually coherent, joining over and around the 

 pistil; ovary simple, 1-celled, 3 parietal placentae: fruit a 3-valved 

 capsule, loculicidal, and, after dehiscence, edges strongly inrolled in 

 drying, thus dispersing the seeds. One genus is well known. 



VlOLA. VIOLETS. HEAKT'S-EASE. JOHNNY-JUMP-UP. Fig. 236. 



Early flowers conspicuous and petaliferous, but frequently sterile; some- 

 times later flowers cleistogamous, concealed under the leaves, apetalous 

 and self-fertilized, usually developing seeds; sepals eared at base; petals 

 unequal, the lower spurred or saccate at base; stamens 5, 2 with spurs which 

 project into the corolla spur. 



a. Stemless: leaves basal: flowers on peduncles from rootstocks. 

 b. Flowers blue or violet: side petals beardless. 



V. pedata, Linn. Bird's-foot violet. Not stoloniferous, rootstock short, 

 stout, nearly smooth: leaves orbicular in outline, but palmately 3- or 5-11- 

 lobed or divided, segments linear not lanceolate: flowers large, 1 in. broad, 

 pale violet or deep purple (varying to white); stigma large, not beaked. 

 Sandy soil. Var. bicolor has 2 upper petals deep velvety violet, 3 lower pale 

 blue. 



bb. Flowers blue or violet: side petals bearded. 



V. palmata, Linn. Common, or early blue violet. Pubescent to nearly 

 glabrous: rootstock stout and scaly: early leaves rounded, cordate or kidney- 

 shaped, margin crenate, the later leaves various, palmately or pedately 

 lobed or parted, on long stalks: flowers deep or pale blue; spur short, 

 saccate; stigma beaked. 



V. cucullata, Ait. Common blue violet. A common form, variable and 

 grading into V. palmata: leaves not lobed or toothed at base, merely crenate 

 or dentate, kidney-form to broadly ovate: nearly or quite glabrous. 



V. sagittata, Ait. Leaves sagittate-lanceolate, or often cordate, toothed 

 near base: scapes bearing the flowers shorter than the leaves, 3-5 in.; 

 sometimes all petals bearded; stigma beaked; flowers usually large. 



V. odorata, Linn. Sweet violet. English violet. Hardy, cultivated 

 species from Europe: stoloniferous by creeping runners: leaves downy or 

 glabrous, rounded or heart-shaped or broadly ovate: flowers fragrant, single 

 or double, sometimes white. 



bbb. Flowers white. 



V. lanceolata, Linn. Rootstock smooth, creeping: stoloniferous: leaves 

 lanceolate to linear, erect, the blade decurrent on the long petioles: flower 



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