216 



SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



lying upon the pistil ; the filament or connective prolonged be- 

 yond the lobes of the anthers, in the irregular flowers two of the 

 filaments are spurred at the base. Ovary compound, 1-celled, 



Fig. 353. 



A. Flower of Violet. B. Section of same. C. Andrcecium. D. Plan of flower, with bract 

 and two bractlets, &c. E. Capsule open, to show parietal placenta tion. F Seed 

 with aril, much enlarged. Gr. Seed with straight embryo in perisperm. 



with numerous ovules on 3 parietal placentas opposite the 3 outer- 

 most sepals, or rarely 1-ovuled ; ovules anatropous ; style single, 

 mostly declinate ; stigma capitate, oblique, hooded. Fruit : a 

 capsule bursting into three valves, with the placentas up the 

 middle ; seeds mostly numerous, often arillate ; embryo straight 

 in the axis of fleshy perisperm. Illustrative Genera : Viola, 

 L. ; Papayrola, Aubl. ; Alsodeia, Thouars. 



Affinities, &c. The typical formula is S5 P5 A 5 G tt. By the irregula r 

 flowers and appendaged anthers we readily distinguish most of 

 the Violaceae from the Droseraceae, Cistacese, and Sauvagesiaceae ; 

 and in Alsodeia and other genera, where the calyx and corolla are 

 regular, the simple style and capitate stigma are still available ; and 

 several other important differences exist, such as : the definite num- 

 ber of stamens and straight embryo, unlike that of the Cistaceaa ; 

 different vernation and stipulate condition of the leaves, unlike Dro- 

 seracese ; while Sauvagesiacese, besides having the anthers unappen- 

 daged, have either numerous stamens, or, if five, they are opposite to the 



