VIOLET FAMILY 



(Violaceae) 



Ours, low perennial herbs, the early flowers irregular, one 

 petal produced at its base into a spur. Later there is often an- 

 other crop of flowers produced on runners or short stems at the 

 base of the plant, inconspicuous, without petals, but abound- 

 ing in seeds. 



WILD PANSY (Viola pedunculata, Torr. & G.). Flowers 

 about an inch across, showy, golden yellow, the upper petals 

 tinged with warm brown outside, the others veined with 

 purple, borne on naked peduncles, sometimes 2 feet long, and 

 overtopping the leaves, Plant 3 to 8 inches tall, with leafy 

 stems, the leaves coarsely round-toothed. Common through- 

 out Middle and Southern California in sunny, grassy places, 

 and on mesas from the seaside to the foothills, blooming from 

 February until May and often spreading over considerable 

 areas. Few wild flowers have a surer place in the popular 

 heart in California than the Wild Pansy. It is sometimes 

 called Yellow Violet. Miss Armstrong records a Spanish- 

 Californian name Gallito, which means "little rooster." 



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