76 VIOLACE.E. 



ORD. IX. VIOLACE^E. THE VIOLET TRIBE. 



Sepals 5 ; petals 5, sometimes unequal ; stamens 5 ; 

 anthers lengthened into a flat membrane ; style with an 

 oblique hooded stigma ; ovary 1 -celled ; seeds numerous, 

 in three rows. A beautiful and important tribe of her- 

 baceous plants or shrubs, strongly marked by the above 

 characters, inhabiting most regions of the world, except 

 those parts of Asia which are within the tropics. Those 

 which grow in temperate regions are mostly herba- 

 ceous ; but in South America, where they are abundant, 

 most of the species are shrubs. The roots of some species 

 are highly valuable in medicine, furnishing Ipecacuanha, 

 well known for its sudorific and emetic properties. The 

 British species also possess medicinal properties, though 

 they are rarely used. 



1. VIOLA (Violet). Sepals 5, extended at the base ; 

 petals 5, unequal, the lower one lengthened into a hollow 

 spur beneath ; anthers united into a tube, two lower ones 

 furnished with spurs, which are enclosed within the spur 

 of the corolla ; capsule with three valves. ( Viola was 

 the Latin name of some fragrant flower, which was called 

 by the Greeks Ion.) 



1. VioLA (Violet). 

 * Leaves and Flowers all springing directly from the root. 



1. V. hirta (Hairy Violet). Leaves heart-shaped, 

 rough, as well as their stalks, with hairs ; bracts below the 

 middle of the flower-stalks ; sepals obtuse ; lateral petals 

 with a hairy central line. Common in chalk and lime- 

 stone districts, or near the sea. lowers various shades 

 of blue, rarely white, scentless. Best distinguished from 

 the sweet violet (to which it is nearly allied) by its very 

 hairy leaves and capsules, by the position of the bracts, 

 and by the absence of creeping scions. Fl. April, May. 

 Perennial. 



2. V. odordta (Sweet Violet). Leaves heart-shaped, 



