46 VIOLACE^. ~ [ViuLA. 



i-lj in. diam., purple whitish or golden yellow, sometimes parti-coloured 

 DISTRIB. Europe (Arctic), N. Africa, N. and W. Asia to Siberia and N.W. 

 India. Sub-sp. lu'tea and Curtis'ii are confined to W. Europe from Belgium 

 southwards to Naples. Sub-sp. trf color and arven'sis proper are naturalized 

 in America. 



Sub-sp. TRI'COLOR proper ; rootstock 0, stem elongate branched, petals spread- 

 ing pale yellow or lilac longer than the sepals, capsule ovoid. Cultivated 

 ground ; ascends to near 2,000 ft. in the Highlands. 



Sub-sp. ARVEN'SIS, Murray (sp. ) ; rootstock 0, stem elongate branched, petals 

 erect white or yellowish not longer than the sepals, capsule globose. Cul- 

 tivated ground ; ascends to near 1,000 ft. in Scotland and York. 



Sub-sp. CURTIS'II, Forster (sp. ) ; rootstock branched stoloniferous tufted, petals 

 spreading blue purple or yellow rather longer than the sepals, capsule 

 3-gonous. V. salmi o'sa, Boreau. Sandy shores, rare, Cheshire to Devon ; 

 S. and W. of Ireland. 



Sub-sp. LU'TEA, Huds. (sp.); rootstock branched, branches slender with short 

 stems and underground runners, petals blue purple or yellow spreading 

 longer than the sepals, capsule oblong 3-gonous. Hilly districts from Wales 

 and Notts northwards; ascends to 2,800 ft. in the Highlands and Yorkshire. 



ORDER X. POLYGA LE^E. 



Herbs or shrubs, erect or climbing. Leaves alternate or subopposite, 

 simple, exstipulate. Flowers irregular. Sepals imbricate in bud ; 2 inner 

 larger, petaloid, winglike. Petals 3-5, hypogynous, 2 outer (lateral) free 

 or united with the hooded lower into a tube split at the base behind ; 

 2 inner equal to the outer, or smaller or 0. Stamens 8, filaments connate 

 in 1 cleft sheath which is usually adnate to the petals ; anthers 1- rarely 

 2-celled, opening by pores, rarely by valves. Disk small. Ovanj free, 

 2-celled ; style simple, curved, stigma various ; ovules 1 in each, cell, 

 pendulous, anatropous, raphe ventral. Seeds pendulous, testa often hairy, 

 hilum strophiolate, albumen fleshy or ; embryo straight. DISTRIB. 

 Temp, and trop. regions; genera 15; species 400. AFFINITIES, distant 

 with Sapindacece, Violacece, and PiUosporece. PROPERTIES. Bitter, 

 emetic, purgative, and diuretic. 



1. POLYG'ALA, L. MlLKWORT. 



Herbs or shrubs. Leaves alternate, rarely subopposite or whorled. 

 Flowers in terminal or lateral racemes or spikes. Petals combined below 

 with the staminal sheath. Stamens 8 ; anthers 1-2-celled, opening by 

 transverse pores. Capsule compressed, loculicidally splitting along the 

 edges. Seeds usually downy, with a crested raphe. DISTRIB. Trop. 

 aud temp, regions ; species 200. ETYM. v6\vs and yd\a, being supposed 

 to increase the milk in cows. 



1. P. vulga'ria, L. ; stems many leafy, leaves alternate lower oblong 

 upper lanceolate, veins of inner sepals anastomosing copiously, capsule 

 oblong- obovate notched, lobes of aril unequal. 

 Heaths and meadows ; ascends to near 3,000 ft. in the Highlands ; fl. June- 



Aug. A small wiry perennial, 2-10 in., glabrous or very rarely pulwscent. 



Rootstock short. Leaves i~li in., rather coriaceous, quite entire. 



