284 THE ALPINE FLORA 



Violaceae 



Herbs with leaves most frequently alternate, flowers 

 irregular, the peduncles furnished with two bracts; 5 

 free sepals; 5 petals, free or slightly coherent (the lower 

 enlarged and apron-shaped) prolonged behind in a spur 

 of varying size; 5 stamens with very short filaments. 



Viola 



"Eng. : Violet or Pansy ; Fr. : Violette or Pcnsec ; 

 Ger. : Veilchen or Stiefmiitterchen. 



Roughly speaking Violets are the smaller flowered, 

 Pansies the larger flowered species of this genus. For 

 alpine gardens the best varieties zrecalcarata, biflora, and 

 a newly introduced American pedata; cenisia is as awkward 

 as calcarata is obliging. With this one exception they are 

 of the easiest culture and propagated by seed, division 

 after flowering, or cuttings from short, soft runners. The 

 florist's " pansy" is derived from altaica, and the garden 

 " viola" from crosses of these "pansies" and alpine violas. 

 It is useful to note that non-yellow-flowered species are 

 less impatient of dry positions than those with yellow 

 flowers. 



V. calcarata (PI. XVI). Plant of turf-like habit, oblong- 

 ovate leaves, with roundish notches on the edge ; flower 

 very large, dark violet, with a slender spur as long as the 

 corolla projecting behind; sweet and pleasantly scented. 

 It may occasionally be met in a variety of colours, 

 especially on the Italian side of the Alps, from exceedingly 



