VIOLA 



VIOLA 



1941 



ViOLA (ohissit'ul niinie). I'ioDcea. Violet. There 

 iivf probably l.')0 species ot Violets. They are widely 

 distributed perennial or rarely annual herbs (or even 

 subshrubs) witli interesting irregular flowers on 1- <.r 

 2-flowered axillary peduncles. They are i)hints <.t" llie 

 northern and Siiuthern temperate zones. About W spe- 

 cies are native to North America north of Mexicn. The 

 flowers are 5-nierous as to envelopes and slauieiis: 

 sepals all similar, persistent with the fruit: cumlla 

 irregular, the Uiwer petal spurred, the others similar 

 but usually not alike ; stanieus short and included, the 

 anthers more or less cihereut and two of them wilh an 

 appendage projeetiug into the spur : fr. a cajistile, 

 3-valved. with several to many gk'bular seeds, t^unie 

 of the species (particularly the eommou eastern i'. juil- 

 wata) have cleistngauuius flowers, wiiich are borne at 

 the base of the plant (often under the nudd) and are 

 pollinated in the bud. The structure of the corolla of 

 the Violet is shown in Fig. "Jbbl. In Fig. 2(i82. repre- 

 senting the same species, the cleistogamous flowers are 

 shown at (( a . 



Three species ot Viida are well known in gardens. 

 The Connnon Sweet Violet is I', odoraia. Frnm tliis 

 the Horists" Violet, in many forms, has been ev(dved. 

 The Pansy is !'. tricoJor. See Pans//. The Horned or 

 Butterhy Violet is \'. comiitn. These are all Europeau 

 species, and are now considerably moditied by cultiva- 

 tion. 



Many of the native Vioh\s are otfered by dealers in 

 hardy plants, but I'uly I', pedafa and I', pahiia/n (with 

 its var. ciiennaf'i ) are really known to any extent as 

 garden plants; and even these are not fretjuently seen. 

 r. pedata, the Bird's-foot Violet, is a most worthy spe- 

 cies, and it will some day, no doubt, he the parent of an 

 important garden race. It is -very variable eveu in the 



Greene and others, and, moreover, the kinds are so 

 many, they an- not deseriited in this areimnt; but a list 

 of those ^vhtch ;ire or have been nl'lrred in the trade is 



2681. The structure of tne corolla of Viola palmata 

 var. cucullata. Somewhat enlarged. 



wild state. Since the native species are really not hor- 

 ticultural subjects, and the descriptions of them are so 

 easily accessible in the writings of Gray, Britton, 



>ni>e. 

 ;i, G 



Sweer. E . 

 Don). Ars- 



2682. The two kinds of Violet flowers.— the common showy 

 flowers at the right, natural size, and the cleistoga- 

 mous flowers at a a [">< '^-). Viola palmata var. cucullata. 



given below as a matter of record. In the nomencla- 

 ture of this list, the monograph of (^Iray has been fol- 

 lowed (Gray's Syn. Flora, vol. 1, pp. Ui.5-'204). 



Violets are easy to grow, particularly if an effort is 

 made to imitate the conditions under which they natur- 

 ally occur. Some of them are woods species, others 

 swamp species, and others inhabit dry plains. They 

 are propagated readil}'' by means of division and in 

 some species by runners. Sometimes seeds are used, 

 but not commonly. Many species that grow mostly to 

 single stems in the wild make large full clumps when 

 given good opportunity in the garden. Fig. 2(jS3. 



A. Plant percunial. 



B. Spur slwrf imd ohfitsf. 



heder^cea, Labill. {Erpefi'm rev if' 

 hederdcetiui . petioliire and spailinh'ttii 

 TRALiAN Violet. 

 Tufted, and creeping 

 by stolons, glabrous 

 or pubescent : Ivs. 

 rentform or orbicular 

 or spatulate, small, 

 entire or toothed, 

 usually not equalini; 

 the scapes: lis. small, 

 usually blue, some- 

 times white, the spur 

 almost none. Aus- 

 tralia.— Offered in S. 

 Calif. 



odorita, Linn. Sweet Violet. Figs. 2(j84, 2688-90. 

 Tufted, somewhat pubescent, producing stolons: root- 

 stock short: Ivs. cordate-ovate to reniform, obtusely 

 serrate, the stipules glandular: Us. blue, fragrant (run- 

 ning into white and reddish purj^le forms), the spur 

 nearly or quite straight and itl)tuse. En., Afr. and 

 j^sia. — It runs into many forms, varying in stature, 

 size of flowers and color. There are doul)le-tIowered 

 forms. The parent of riorists' \ iolets. 



BB. Spur Jong and acute. 



cornea, Linn. Hornet. Violet. Bedding Pansy. 

 Plant tufted, glabrous or nearly so. producing evid'-nt 

 stems with long peduncles in the leaf -axils : Ivs. cor- 



2683. Clump of common blue Vio- 

 let of the eastern states.— Viola 

 palmata, var cucullata. 



