KBW SPBOIBS OF VIOLA. 215 



having no corollas, never open even their sepals ; which flowers 

 are even in a majority of cases developed under the ground, the 

 capsules not rising to the surface of the soil until the day ap- 

 proaches for the scattering of the ripe seeds. It is a remarka- 

 ahle phase of science, a strange method of induction, by which 

 men can convince themselves of the existence of hybrids — even 

 the common occurrence of them— in a group of plants which, as 

 if intelligent entities, seem to use every thinkable natural pre- 

 caution against cross fertilization. 



Viola filicbtobum. At petaliferous flowering low, 3 or 4 

 inches high, the flowers barely surpassing the foliage: earliest 

 leaves subreniform, f inch long, crenate, plane, subsucculent, 

 purple beneath, those next succeeding subcordate, obtuse, li 

 inches long, nearly as broad, glabrous, as are all the vegetative 

 organs at every period, sepals oblong-oval, very obtuse, with 

 distinct and evident scarious margin, this when fresh minutely 

 serrulate as seen under a lens ; corolla violet, not of the largest, 

 the petals all very obtuse, the odd one as long as the others and 

 almost truncate. Plant of early summer a foot high and even 

 more, with vivid green thin and delicate leaves subcordate-del- 

 toid, 2J inches long, 3 J broad across the base, crenate: apeta- 

 lous flowers on most delicate filiform horizontal and subterranean 

 peduncles 2 to 4 inches long. 



Species peculiar to deep woodland shades along the Potomac 

 above Washington, where it is very common in a narrow belt along 

 the summits of such slopes as are occupied by the Christmas 

 Fern, sometimes along the bases of such declivities, and not 

 rarely in among the ferns. It is plentiful about Cabin 

 John Bridge, in Maryland, and also just outside the District 

 line, in the same region. I have observed it and collected 

 it in these and other localities at various dates during five years 

 past. It is in good petaliferous flower about 20 April. In its 

 extremely different dress of the latter part of May and in June 

 no one not acquainted with the species would suspect it of being 

 identical with the little dwarf of April with the petaliferous 

 flowers. 



