140 WILD FLOWER FAMILIES 
The Early Blue Violet is another stemless 
bearded species. It is more likely to be found in 
the comparatively dry soil of woods than in open 
meadows. It is distributed from Maine to 
Georgia in the east, and extends westward to 
Minnesota and Arkansas. The first spring leaves 
of this Violet are likely to be heart-shaped, re- 
sembling those of the Meadow Violet, but the 
later leaves have the margins divided into many 
lobes. On this account it is called by botanists 
Viola palmata—the Palmate-leaved Violet. 
Still another common species which comes in. 
the group of stemless bearded Blue Violets is the 
‘abundant Arrow-leaved Violet. This is easily 
distinguished by the arrow-shaped leaves which 
give it its common name as well as its botanical 
one—Viola sagittata—which simply says in Latin 
Arrow-like Violet. This species is especially 
abundant in wet meadows and along the borders 
of marshes. It is distributed from Maine to 
Georgia in the east, and extends westward to 
Minnesota and Texas. 
The Ovate-leaved Violet bears a general re- 
semblance to the Arrow-leaved sort, except that 
its leaves are ovate rather than distinctly arrow- 
shaped. It grows in drier soil than does the other 
and has shorter petioles, the flower-stalks being as 
long as the leaf and its petiole. 
We come now to a beautiful stemless blue Vio- 
