140 WILD FLOWER FAMILIES 



The Early Blue Violet is another stemless 

 bearded species. It is more likely to be found in 

 the comparatively dry soil of woods than in open 

 meadows. It is distributed from Maine to 

 Georgia in the east, and extends westward to 

 Minnesota and Arkansas. The first spring leaves 

 of this Violet are likely to be heart-shaped, re- 

 sembling those of the Meadow Violet, but the 

 later leaves have the margins divided into many 

 lobes. On this account it is called by botanists 

 Viola palmata the Palmate-leaved Violet. 



Still another common species which comes in 

 the group of stemless bearded Blue Violets is the 

 abundant Arrow-leaved Violet. This is easily 

 distinguished by the arrow-shaped leaves which 

 give it its common name as well as its botanical 

 one Viola sa gift at a which simply says in Latin 

 Arrow-like Violet. This species is especially 

 abundant in wet meadows and along the borders 

 of marshes. It is distributed from Maine to 

 Georgia in the east, and extends westward to 

 Minnesota and Texas. 



The Ovate-leaved Violet bears a general re- 

 semblance to the Arrow-leaved sort, except that 

 its leaves are ovate rather than distinctly arrow- 

 shaped. It grows in drier soil than does the other 

 and has shorter petioles, the flower-stalks being as 

 long as the leaf and its petiole. 



We come now to a beautiful stemless blue Vio- 



