50 VIOLAGE^. . [ViOLA. 



hardly distinguishable forms. Sandy shores from the Clyde to Cornwall ; 

 Ireland. 



Sub-sp. Y. LU'TEA, Huds. ; rootstock branched, branches slender with short 

 stems and underground runners, mid lobe of stipules entire, petals spread- 

 ing much longer than the sepals blue purple (var. amce'na) or yellow, capsule 

 oblong 3 gonous. V. grandiflo'ra, Huds. ed. 2. Hilly districts from Mid. 

 England and Wales to Koss ; ascends to 2,800 ft. 



ORDER X. POLYGALEJE. 



Herbs or shrubs, erect or climbing. Leaves alternate or subopposite, 

 simple, exstipulate. Flowers irregular. Sepals imbricate in bud ; 2 inner 

 larger, petaloid, winglike. Petals 3-5, hypogynous, 2 outer (lateral) separate 

 or united with the hooded lower one into a tube split at the base behind ; 

 2 inner equal to the outer, or smaller or 0. Stamens 8, filaments connate 

 in a split sheath which is usually adnate to the petals ; anthers 1- rarely 

 2-celled, opening by pores, rarely by valves. Disk small. Ovary free, 

 2-celled ; style simple, curved, stigma various ; ovules 1 in each cell, 

 pendulous, anatropous, raphe ventral. Seeds pendulous, testa often hairy, 

 atillate, albumen fleshy or ; embryo straight. DISTRIB. Temp, and 

 trop. regions ; genera 15 ; species 400. AFFINITIES, distant with Sapin- 

 dacece,^ Violacew, and Pittosporece. PROPERTIES. Bitter, emetic, purgative, 

 and diuretic. 



1. POLYG'ALA, L. MlLKWORT. 



Herbs or shrubs. Leaves alternate, rarely subopposite or whorled. 

 Flowers in terminal or lateral racemes or spikes ; pedicels bracteate and 

 2-bracteola,te. Petals combined below with the staminal sheath, which 

 has reversedj hairs within, and a viscid gland at the mouth. Stamens 8 ; 

 anthers 1 -2-celled, opening by transverse pores. Stigma spatlmlate. 

 Capsule compressed, loculicidal at the margins. Seeds usually downy ; 

 aril very variable, 2-auricled. DISTRIB. Trop. and temp, regions ; 

 species 200- ETYM. it6\vs and yd\a, being supposed to increase the milk 

 in cows. Flowers in some cleistogamous. 



1. P. vulga'ris, L. ; stems many leafy, leaves scattered lower oblong 



upper lanceolate, lateral nerves of inner sepals anastomosing copiously, 



central nearly simple. 



Heaths and meadows, N. to Shetland ; Ireland ; Channel Islands ; fl. June- 

 Aug. A small wiry perennial, 2-10 in., glabrous or very rarely pubescent. 

 Eootstock short. Leaves J-1J in., rather coriaceous, quite entire. Flowers 

 %-% in., white, pink, blue, lilac, or purple. Sepals purplish in flower, green 

 in fruit, inner elliptic-obovate. Capsule % in. diarn., obcordate or nearly 

 orbicular and notched. Aril with nearly equal lobes. DISTRIB. Europe 

 (Arctic), N. Africa, Siberia, and W. Asia. 



P. VULGA'RIS proper, stems ascending, branches straight, leaves all linear or 

 lanceolate, racemes many-fid., bract as long as the flowering pedicel, pedicels 



