74 ACTA HORTI BERGIANI. BAND 2. NIO 7. 



duction of new forms of pansies, but in most cases without any plan, by insects 

 crossing varieties cultivated near each other. The horticulturists have simply 

 made their selection among the numerous forms which have arisen as a result 

 of this hybridization performed by Nature herseif. The tufted pansies on the 

 other hand have chiefly pansy-raisers, who themselves undertook the hybridiza- 

 tion, to thank for their existence. James Grieve of Edinburgh, in 1862 and 

 1863, crossed Viola lutea from the Scottish hüls with the ordinary show pan- 

 sies of that time ; and about the same time William Dean began vvorking in 

 a similar way in the North of England. From these and similar hybridizations 

 not a few of the tufted pansies are derived, more especially those in which 

 yellow is the prevailing colour. Viola cornuta L. has played a still morc im- 

 portant part than V. lutea. Dating from 1863 it has been used by different 

 pansy-raisers for crossing with varieties of dark pansies in particular. Thus, 

 in 1867, Dicksons and Co. of Edinburgh produced the, relatively speaking, large 

 flowering dark purple »Vanguard», concerning which it is stated that it is derived 

 from hybridizing V. cornuta, as female, with a dark purple pansy as male flower. 

 About this time, B. S. Williams of Holloway sent out his noted »Viola cor- 

 nuta Perfection», and somewhat later, the fragrant »Sensation». These and 

 other hybrids of V. cornuta were afterwards used for further hybridization with 

 suitable pansy varieties; and by these means — more especially thanks to 

 Dicksons and Co. and to Dr Charles Stuart, of Hillside — a considerable 

 number of new varieties of tufted pansies were raised in the seventies. 



Uuring the last two decades a most interesting kind of tufted pansies has 

 been raised, viz. the »Ray less Violas» which have flowers of but one colour, 

 free from the ordinary dark rays or streaks, whence their name. The first 

 time I find any mention made of them is in 1881, when in »The Garden» 

 W. Robinson relätes that at Laing's of Stanstead Park Nurseries, he saw two 

 kinds of such pansies (»Hybrida alba» and »Golden Queen of Spring»), Not 

 until the very last years of the eighties did they become more widely known. 

 Then appeared Charles Stuart's well-known »Violetta», a very small flowering 

 almost pure white odorous tufted pansy, the produet of a cross between Viola 

 cornuta L. as the female parent and the pansy »Blue King» as the male plant. 

 Dr Stuart lays special stress on the fact that in hybridization with V. cornuta 

 it should be used as the female, and the pansy chosen for the occasion as 

 the male plant, if a progeny be desired resembling V. cornuta as regards per- 

 fume and being perennial. Violetta has, in turn, produced a numerous offspring 

 (among others the celebrated Sylvia) which, together with other rayless tufted 

 pansies, play an important part in the shows of the Scottish and English Pansy 

 Societies. 



Besides those species of Violas already mentioned, in very rare cases 

 Viola calcarata L. has been used for the improvement of the pansy. 



From Dicksons and Co. of Edinburgh a statement has reached nie that 



Viola strida has been used for the same purpose (»Ariel», »Stricta alba», 



»Indiana», etc. are said to be derived from this species); but it is evident that 



this Viola stricta cannot be the Viola stricta of the botanists 1 ). Dicksons and 



') V. stricta Hornem. belongs to the section Nomimium. 



