VIOLA. 



name of a charming flower, moft probably originated in its 

 Greek fynonym it.». At leaft, the vague and forced ety- 

 mologies of this word, for which Latin authors have ran- 

 facked their own language, prove it not to have come from 

 thence. Nor are the explanations of the Greek much more 

 fatisfaftory, though the fable of this plant having fprung 

 up on purpofe to be the food of the metamorphofed lo, is 

 too poetical to be forgotten. The names of the Violet in 

 modern languages all proceed from the Latin, or from the 

 fame fource, whatever it may be. The poetry, the ro- 

 mance, the fcenery, of every country, is embroidered with 

 the violet, from Caledonia to Arcadia, and the very fame 

 individual fpecies is, or has been, the objeft of homage in 

 both thofe diftant countries. Yet it muit be remembered, 

 that lor, Fiola, and even the Englifh yiolet, are names of 

 more wide-extended and indefinite application, than thofe 

 of perhaps any other flower, even the Rofe not excepted ; 

 fo as to be nearly fynonimous with the word Jlo-wer itfclf ; 

 nor can any thing be more diffimilar from the true kind, or 

 from each other, than the Calathian Violet, a Gentiana, 

 or the Dame's Violet, Hesperis ; the Dog's-tooth Violet, 

 Erythronium, or the Water Violet, Hottonia. ( See 

 thofe articles.) — Linn. Gen. 457. Schreb. 597. WiUd. 

 Sp. PI. V. I. 1159. Mart. Mill. Dia. V. 4. Sm. Fl. 

 Brit. 244. Prodr. Fl. Grsec. Sibth. v. i. 145. Ait. 

 Hort. Kew. V. 2. 43. Purlh 171. Jufl". 294. Tourn. 

 t. 236. Lamarck lUuftr. t. 725. Poiret in Lam. Dift. 

 T. 8. 623. Gaertn. t. 112. — Clafs and order, Syngtnejla 

 Monogamia, Linn. Pentandiia Monogyuia, Smith, Willd., 

 &c. Nat. Ord. Campanaceit, Linn. C'tfti, JufT. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, fhort, permanent, of 

 five ovate-oblong, ereft leaves, moft acute at the fummit, 

 inferted above their bafe, which is obtufe ; they are equal, 

 but varioufly difpofed ; two of them fubtending petal a, 

 one each of the petals /3 and -/, and the fifth the two petals 

 i and e together. Cor. irregular, of five unequal petals ; of 

 which petal a. is at the top of the flower, the broadeft and 

 moft obtufe of all, ftraight, looking downwards, emar- 

 ginate, ending at the bafe in a horn-(haped, obtufe Neftary, 

 projefting betwixt the calyx-leaves ; S and 7 are lateral, 

 both alike, oppofite, obtufe, ftraight ; I and s are the 

 loweft of all, both alike, larger than the two former, re- 

 fiexed upward. Stam. Filaments five, very fmall, two of 

 them adjoining to petal %, are furnilhed with two combined 

 appendages, which enter the neftary ; anthers converging, 

 hardly connected, obtufe, with a terminal membrane to 

 each. P'ljl. Germen fuperior, roundilh ; ftyle thiead- 

 fhaped, projedling beyond the anthers ; ftigma obhque, 

 pointed or concave. Perk. Capfule ovate, triangular, 

 obtufe, of one cell and three valves. Seeds feveral in each 

 cell, ovate, polilhed, inferted into the valves. Recept. linear, 

 running along the centre of each valve. 



Obf. The Jligma, in the Common March Violet, F. 

 odoraia, and its allies, is a fimple reflexed hook ; in the tri- 

 color, or Panfy, tribe, it is a hollow knob, perforated at 

 the fummit, and more or lefs gaping occafionally. In the 

 European fpecies, the flower is always inverted ; in the 

 Indian ones, moftly ereft ; hence the different afpeft of 

 the two. 



Eff. Ch. Corolla of five petals, irregular, fpurred be- 

 hind. Anthers fomewhat connefted. Capfule fuperior, of 

 three valves and one cell. Calyx of five leaves, extended 

 at their bafe. 



Viola is a very numerous, alm.oft entirely herbaceous, 

 genus, for the moft part of humble ftature, though of great 

 elegance. The Jlem is either traihng, or ereft ; fometimes 

 wanting. Leaves alternate, rarely oppofite, flalked, Cmple, 



crenate, or ferrated, occafionally deeply divided. Stipula/ 

 various and remarkable. Flowers on fimple ftalks, blue, or 

 rather purphlh, whitifli, or yellow ; in one inftance, at leaft, 

 green ; very often ftreaked in a radiant manner, like thofe of 

 Veronica. The fpecies abound in cold or cool countries, 

 fuch as Europe and North America, though fome are of 

 tropical origin ; but the habit of thefe latter is peculiar. 

 One fpecies has but two perfeCl ftamens. 



The difcoveries of North American botanifts have, of 

 late, greatly enriched this genus. New Holland hkewife 

 has contributed feveral new and curious fpecies ; but of 

 thefe we fhall probably learn much more than is at prefent 

 known, from Mr. Brown, whenever he continues his valu- 

 able Prodromus. 



Two fections are moft commodious for the diftribution 

 of the fpecies, others, which have been propofed, proving 

 problematical or obfcure. 



Seft. 1. IVithout Jlems. 



1. V. palmala. Palmated Violet. Linn. Sp. PI. 1323. 

 Willd. n. I. Ait. n. i. Purlh n. 3. Curt. Mag. t. 535. 

 (V. alba, folio fecuris amazoniae effigie, Floridana ; Pluk. 

 Amalth. 208. t. 447. f. 9. ) — Downy. Leaves heart- 

 fliaped, lobed in a haftate or palmate manner, more or lefs 

 notched. Calyx-leaves lanceolate, fmooth. Two lateral 

 petals bearded at the bafe. — Native of North America, on 

 dry hills and pafture ground, generally in a fandy foil. 

 Perennial, flowering from April to June. Purfh. Hardy 

 in our gardens, but rarely cultivated. The firft haves are 

 kidney-lhaped, ferrated ; the fabfequent ones deeply and 

 varioufly palmate, five-lobed, an inch and a half or two 

 inches long, occafionally fmooth. Footjlalis ereft, from 

 two to four inches long. Flower-Jlalks rather taller, fimple, 

 and fingle-flowered, as in the whole genus, with a pair of 

 oppofite awl-fliaped bradsas below the middle. Flowers an 

 inch broad, light blue, whitifh at the bafe, inodorous. 



2. V. pedala. Cut-leaved Violet. Linn. Sp. PI. 1323. 

 Willd. n. 2. Ait. n. 2. Purfh n. i. Curt. Mag. t. 89. 

 Andr. Repof. t. 153. (V. virginiana tricolor, fobis mul- 

 tifidis, cauliculo aphyllo ; Pluk. Phyt. t. 114. f. 7-) — 

 Leaves pedate, fmooth, with feven or nine lanceolate, nearly 

 entire, lobes. — Native of dry fandy hills and fields, from 

 New England to Carolina. Perennial, flowering in May 

 and June. Rare in our gardens. According to Mr. 

 Curtis, it (hould be planted in a pot of loam mixed with 

 bog earth, plunged into a north border, and kept in a frame 

 through the winter. The truly pedate lea-ves diftinguifh 

 this fpecies. The fowers are larger than the preceding, 

 pale blue, with prominent orange-coloured tips to their 

 anthers, Purfti mentions a variety, whofe petals are very 

 handfomely ornamented with a dark purple velvet at the 

 bottom, fimilar to V. tricolor. This may be Plukenet's 

 plant, fo meanly figured, as ufual with him. 



3. V. digitata. Finger-leaved Violet. Purfli n. 2 — 

 " Leaves palmate, tapering down into the footftalk, of five 

 or feven undivided lobes." — Native of Virginia. Leconte. 

 Perennial, flowering in May. Flowers pale blue. Purjh. 

 May not this be nearly akin to the entire-lobed variety of 

 the following ? 



4. V. fnnnata. Wing-leaved Violet. Linn. Sp. PI. 

 1323. Willd. n. 3. Ait. n. 3. Allion. Fed. v. 2. 97. 

 (V. acaulis, fohis pinnatifidis ; Gmel. Sib. v. 4. 101. t. 49. 

 f. 4. V. n. 561 ; HaU. Hift. v. i. 241. V. montana, la- 

 ciniato folio ; Cluf. Hift. v. 1. 309.) 



/S. V. acaulis, foliis digitatis ; Gmel. Sib. v. 4. ico. 

 t. 49. f. 3. (V. montana, folio multifido ; Bauh. Hift. 

 V. 3. 544.) 



Leaves in many deep, toothed or jagged, fegmcnts, 



tapering 



