25 YIOLA ODORATA 



straight spur, the lateral ones with a tuft of hairs near the base. 

 Stamens 5, hypogynous, alternating with the petals, filaments 

 almost absent, anthers large, erect, introrse, 2 -celled, dehiscing 

 longitudinally, slightly coherent by their margins, the connective 

 prolonged in all at the top to form a short triangular process, 

 and in the two inferior ones also backwards to form laterally 

 compressed oblong spurs which are received into the hollow spur 

 of the inferior petal. Ovary conical, smooth, shorter than the 

 stamens, 1 -celled, with three parietal placentas with numerous 

 ovules in several rows, style longer than the ovary, somewhat 

 thickened upwards, curved downwards at its sharp point. Fruit 

 a ' subglobose, pubescent, blunt capsule, inch in diameter, 

 dehiscing loculicidally into 3 valves. Seeds numerous, small, 

 roundish, smooth, with a short arillus or strophiole at one end, 

 embryo straight in the axis of the fleshy endosperm. 



Habitat. A very familiar plant and a favourite in gardens. 

 It has an extensive range, being found throughout Europe, 

 including our own country (where, however, it is not considered 

 to be wild in the north), Western Asia to Cashmere, Siberia and 

 N. Africa. It was formerly cultivated for medicinal use at 

 Stratford-on-Avon, but is not at the present time. The familiar 

 flowers which appear in early spring are usually barren ; those 

 which produce fertile seed being apetalous and inconspicuous and 

 formed later in the season; the leaves increase considerably in 

 size after the spring flowers have faded.* The white-flowered 

 variety differs also in the want of the dark veins in the lower 

 petal and the tufts of hair on the lateral ones (V. imbeMs, 

 Leight.). 



Syme, E., Bot., ii, p. 14; Hook, f., Stud. FL, p. 44; Watson, 

 Comp. Cyb. Br., p. 107 ; Gr. & Godr., FL France, i, p. 177 ; 

 Boiss., FL Orient., i, p. 458; Hook, f., FL India, i, p. 184; 

 Ledeb., FL Ross., i, p. 249 ; LindL, FL Med., p. 97. 



Part Used and Name. VIOLA; the recent petals or flowers. 

 Not official in the British Pharmacopoeia, or the Pharmacopoeia of 

 India, or the Pharmacopoeia of the United States. But the 



