VIOLA 



VIOLET 



3477 



38. pedunculate, Torr. & Gray. Sts. ascending, often 

 2 ft. long, bearing normally in each If .-axil as the st. 

 develops a large (1 in. across) orange-yellow fl. on a 

 peduncle 2-5 in. long: rootstock thick and deep: Ivs. 

 round-ovate, the base usually truncate, coarsely crenate; 

 stipules leafy: petals purple- veined inside, the lateral 

 ones bearded. W. Calif., where often cult.; handsome. 



3946. Viola Beckwithii. (XH) 



39. glabella, Xutt. Sts. erect but usually weak, 

 leafy only above: rootstock horizontal, more or less 

 branching: Ivs. cordate-renifonn, glabrous or only 

 puberulent, the lower ones on elongated petioles; 

 stipules small: fls. bright yellow and somewhat purple- 

 veined; lateral petals bearded; spur short and sac-like. 

 Moist or shady places; widely distributed in the 

 mountains of the N. W. and along the Pacific coast. 



DD. Lvs. more or less 3-9-lobed or -parted. 



40. lobata, Benth. St. long and mostly naked at the 

 base, the plant either glabrous or finely pubescent: 

 rootstock erect: Ivs. reniform to bfoad-cuneate, 

 palmately cleft into 5-9 narrow lobes and the central 

 lobe toothed: fls. yellow, the upper petals brownish 

 purple on the outside. Calif . and S. W. Ore. 



DDD. Lvs. compoundly dissected into numerous small 



lobes: sts. leafy from the base. 



E. Lateral petals beardless. 



41. Sheltonii, Tprr. Fig. 3945 (adapted from Pacific 

 R. R. Report). Nearly or quite glabrous: Ivs. orbicu- 

 lar-reniform to cordate, 3-divided, the divisions 3- 

 parted, lobed and cleft into narrow segms., not exceed- 

 ing the peduncles: upper petals brownish, the 3 lower 

 pale yellow. N. W. Colo, and N. E. Calif. 



EE. Lateral petals bearded, the 2 upper deep violet. 



42. Beckwithii, Torr. & Gray. Fig. 3946 (adapted 

 from Pacific R. R. Report). Plant pubescent or puber- 

 ulent : Ivs. palmately about 3 times 3-parted into very 

 narrow lobes, about equaling the peduncles: 3 lower 

 petals pale violet, the fls. thus closely resembling those 

 of V. pedata. Utah to X. E. Calif, a'nd Ore. 



43. Hallii, Gray. Plant glabrous; rootstock deep: Ivs. 

 3-divided, the divisions 3-5-cleft, the segms. narrow; 

 stipules leafy: fls. violet and yellow, the 2 upper petals 

 dark violet and the 3 lower petals yellow or cream-col- 

 ored; lateral petals bearded at base. N. W. Calif, and 

 W. Ore. 



44. trinervate, Howell. Plant glabrous: ultimate 

 segms. of the If. lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, taper- 

 ing to an acute callous apex, thick and firm, promi- 

 nently 3-ribbed: upper petals dark blue, the lower ones 

 pale blue to whitish with a yellow base. Cent, and S. 



Wash. 



EZRA BRAIXERD. 



VIOLET. One of the choicest of fragrant garden 

 flowers. See Viola. 



Comparatively few changes have taken place in the 

 commercial cultivation of the violet within the past 

 decade. The industry is more or less stabilized, and 

 while there has been a tendency to increased planting 

 of the single varieties, on the whole there has been no 

 marked growth in the actual area under cultivation. 

 The violet still offers some unique opportunities for 

 the untrained lover of plants for the reason that it may 

 be grown at less expense and with fewer and more 

 simple houses and frames than almost any other of the 

 major florist crops. While the violet readily responds 

 to good treatment and to clean and healthy surround- 

 ings, its status is still relatively low owing to the fact 

 that the risks of production are great, and this seems to 

 develop a tendency toward carelessness on the part of 

 those who take up the work as a business. 



The cultivated varieties of the florist's violet are 

 limited in number and probably all have been derived 

 from the common sweet violet, Viola odorata, widely 

 distributed over Europe and Asia. So far as known, no 

 true varieties of the violet, either single or double, have 

 originated in America. Of the double varieties and 

 strains the most widely planted in this country are the 

 Marie Louise (Fig. 3947) in its several forms, including 

 Farquhar and Imperial; Lady Hume Campbell, Nea- 

 politan (Fig. 3948), De Panne, Swanley White (Fig. 

 3949), and Madame Millet. For all practical purposes 

 the culture of the double violet is confined to the Marie 

 Louise, a true mauve in color, and the Campbell, a 

 light mauve. The Neapolitan is a somewhat hardy 

 type, but its color is too light for the market. The 

 single varieties are coming to be important in the 

 trade, and in the South and West are taking the place 

 of the double sorts. South of Philadelphia, and north 

 of Richmond, Virginia, the growing of any of the dou- 

 bles is more or less risky, and it is in this territory and 

 the Pacific coast that the singles are becoming so pop- 

 ular. The principal varieties are the Princess of Wales, 

 Admiral Avellan, La France, California, and Baron 

 Rothschild. The last is a promising variety, being a 

 very free bloomer and a good keeper. The habit of 

 this plant is 

 compact and the 

 f oliage is of good 

 texture, shape, 

 and color. 



Violets will 

 grow and thrive 

 in almost any 

 good garden soil. 

 The soil that 

 will grow good 

 strawberries or 

 potatoes should, 

 with proper care, 

 grow good vio- 

 lets. Under such 

 intensive culti- 

 vation as must 

 necessarily b e 

 given the violet, 

 it is important 

 to give strict 

 attention to soil 

 preparation. 

 Sod from an old 

 pasture makes 

 excellent soil for 

 the crop, but 

 care should be 

 taken that it is 

 not too heavy. 

 A moderately 

 sandy loam sod is 



3947. Violet, Marie 

 Louise. (XI) 



