1 76 Fruits and Seeds. 



resist the tension. The least touch, for instance a 

 puff of wind blowing the plant against a neighbour, 

 detaches the outer wall, which suddenly rolls itself 

 up, generally with such force as to fly from the 

 plant, thus jerking the seeds to a distance of 

 several feet. 



4. In the common Violets, besides the coloured 

 flowers, there are others in which the corolla is 

 either absent or imperfectly developed. The sta- 

 mens also are small, but contain pollen, though less 

 than in the coloured flowers. In the autumn large 

 numbers of these curious flowers are produced. 

 When very young they look like an ordinary 

 flower-bud (fig. 64, a), the central part of the 

 flower being entirely covered by the sepals, and 

 the whole having a triangular form. When older 

 (figs. 64 and 65, b] they look at first sight like an 

 ordinary seed capsule, so that the bud seems to 

 pass into the capsule without the flower stage. 

 The Pansy Violets do not possess these interesting 

 flowers. In the Sweet Violet and Hairy Violet 

 (fig. 64) they may easily be found by searching 

 among the leaves nestling close to the ground. It 

 is often said that the plants actually force these 

 capsules into the ground, and thus sow their own 

 seeds. I have not, however, found this to be the 

 case ; though, as the stalk lengthens, and the point 

 of the capsule turns downwards, if the earth be 

 loose and uneven, it will no doubt sometimes so 



