Elementary Species in Nature 45 



of the field-pansy. Jordan has described some 

 from the vicinity of Lyons, and Wittrock others 

 from the northern parts of Europe. They 

 diverge from their common prototype in nearly 

 all attributes, the flowers not showing the 

 essential differentiating characters as in the 

 V. tricolor. Some have their flower-stalks 

 erect, and in others the flowers are held nearly 

 at right angles to the stem. V. pallescens is a 

 small, almost unbranched species with small 

 pale flowers. F. segetalis is a stouter species 

 with two dark blue spots on the tips of the upper 

 petals, F. agrestis is a tall and branched, 

 hairy form. F. nemausensis attains a height of 

 only 10 cm,, has rounded leaves and long 

 flower-stalks. Even the seeds afford charac- 

 ters which may be made use of in isolating the 

 various species. 



The above-mentioned elementary forms be- 

 long to the flora of southern France, and Witt- 

 rock has isolated and cultivated a number of 

 others from the fields of Sweden. A species 

 from Stockholm is called Viola patens; V. arven- 

 sis curtisepala occurs in Gotland, and F. arven- 

 sis striolata is a distinct form, which has ap- 

 peared in his cultures without its true origin 

 being ascertained. 



The alpine violets comprise a more wide- 

 spread type with some local elementary species 



