190 



IMPORTANT FAMILIES OF PLANTS 



part of calyx; fruit a three-parted pod with parietal placenta 

 leaves alternate and stipulate. 



This family includes the many species and varieties of 

 violets. These flowers were known through practically all his- 

 torical time and are now grown very extensively to supply the 

 flower markets of our cities. The cultivated pansy is a species 

 of violet (V. tricolor) (Fig. 118). 



FIG. 118. Pansies are so hardy as to stand much frost. 



Commercial violets are grown from cuttings which are 

 started in cool greenhouses. Common varieties of pansies are 

 grown from seeds, but some of the more important com- 

 mercial varieties are grown from layers or from cuttings made 

 late in the season. If pansy beds are covered in the fall with 

 a loose layer of grass or leaves, they will usually survive the 

 winter and be more vigorous the second than the first year. 



