254 Violaceae 



apetalous, or cleistogamous and abundantly fertile, while 

 the early showy ones are often sterile. 



* Flowers blue or white. 



1. V. palmata cucullata (Ait.) Gray. Acaulescent, the leaves 

 and scapes directly from rather short and thick rootstocks, glabrous 

 or somewhat villous-pubescent ; leaves rounded-cordate, renif or m 

 or hastate-reniform, tbe basal sides often cucullate-involute ; 

 corolla only saccate-spurred, blue or violet-purple, rarely white ; 

 lateral petals bearded toward the base; style gibbous-clavate, 

 beardless at summit. 



In swamp-lands about Los Angeles, Davidson. 



2. V. blanda Willd. Acaulescent, leaves and scapes from 

 slender filiform rootstocks, glabrous or nearly so; leaves thin, 

 ovate-cordate to round-reniform, crenulate; petals oblong to 

 ovate-lanceolate ; petals white with purple veins on the lower and 

 sometimes the lateral ones, usually beardless; spur short and 

 saccate. 



Occasional about cold springs in the upper portions of the pine belt of the 

 San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains. 



** Flowers yellow, at least within. 



3. V. pedunculata T. & G. Stems 5-15 cm. long, prostrate 

 or ascending, puberulent or nearly glabrous ; leaves rhombic- 

 cordate, usually almost truncate at the broad base, obtuse, coarsely 

 crenate ; stipules foliaceous, narrowly lanceolate, entire or incised ; 

 peduncles erect, much exceeding the leaves, 10-20 cm. long; con- 

 spicuously bibractiolate ; flowers 2 cm. broad or more, yellow, 

 the upper petal dark brown without, the others purple- veined 

 within, the lateral ones bearded. 



Frequent in open grassy places in the lower foothills and on the mesas. 

 March-April. 



4. V. lobata Benth. Rootstocks erect ; stems stoutish, erect, 

 15-30 cm. high, leafy to the summit, puberulent or nearly gla- 

 brous; leaves renif orm or cordate in outline, 5-10 cm. broad, 

 palmately cleft into 5-9 narrowly oblong lobes, the central largest 

 or longest, some of the basal leaves often less lobed or merely 

 coarsely toothed ; petals 12 mm. long, yellow, the upper brownish 

 without, the lateral slightly bearded. 



Occasional on the borders of mountain meadows in the San Bernardino 

 Mountains. Bear Valley. 



