feminine termination, which pleased the 

 Latins, instead of the Greek neuter, the liquid 

 I was required to keep two vowels asunder. 

 These are familiar and natural changes, and 

 the best etymologists are agreed that the 

 derivation admits of no doubt. 



The violets are exogenous plants, with the 

 parts of the three outer circles, a complete 

 single series in each, all distinct, disposed to 

 irregularity, chiefly in the petals ; the stamens 

 all perfect, with their anthers crested, turned 

 inwards ; carpels three coherent ; seeds with 

 albumen. This character belongs to the 

 order violaceae, but will distinguish the genus 

 also from all with which our readers are 

 likely to compare it. We have already 

 pointed out the marks by which this par- 

 ticular species, Viola odorata, is known ; and 

 the smell would remove all doubt, if other 

 marks were not clearly understood. 



THE PRIMROSE. 



In selecting a few familiar and favorite 

 flowers as the subjects of illustration (which 

 we hope may serve at once to extend a know- 

 ledge of the true principles of botanical 

 science, and to cultivate a taste for the 

 rational study of the beautiful objects which 

 surround us on all sides), we cannot think of 

 passing by the primrose, a flower of the 

 present season, one which is within almost 

 everybody's reach ; since, whilst the hand of 

 Nature plentifully scatters it over the banks 

 and through the thickets, there are few 

 gardens which do not contain it in its natural 

 state, or in some of its varieties ; often 

 mingled, too, with kindred forms, which may 

 be profitably compared with it ; and even in 

 the heart of crowded cities, the demand for 

 this much-loved flower awakens the industry 

 of some rustic merchant adventurer, who 

 brings round his well-stocked basket of 

 blooming roots, from which the flower-pots 

 and window-boxes of the poor artisan, as well 

 as the borders of the little suburban garden, 

 are cheaply supplied. 



It is, perhaps, an additional recommenda- 

 tion to our notice on the present occasion, 

 that the primrose differs widely in structure 

 from the plants which we have previously 

 examined, and thus gives opportunity for 

 explaining the application of the principles we 

 have laid down to forms apparently the most 

 opposed and inconsistent, which will be made 

 to manifest their common relationships, and 

 mutually to throw light on each other. 



After the fundamental differences which 

 divide all flowering plants into exogenous and 

 endogenous, the most obvious distinction con- 

 sists in the circles of which the flower is 

 composed being single of each kind, or one 

 or more kinds either omitted or multiplied ; 

 in these circles being separate, or adhering 

 one upon another ; in the several pieces of 



each circle remaining separate, or cohering 

 by their edges, so as to seem to form but 

 one ; and in the organs of the several circles 

 being equally or unequally developed. 



The winter aconite belongs to an order cha- 

 racterised by the separation of all its parts, 

 and is likewise regular. The violet has its 

 interior circle — that of the carpels, united by 

 coherence into a compound seed-vessel, 

 though the pressure is not very close. It 

 also exhibits irregularity in its petals and 

 stamens. The primrose is perfectly regular, 

 but all the circles have their parts coherent, 

 and there is a remarkable adherence of the 

 petals and stamens, including between them 

 an abortive outer circle of stamens, of which 

 in general slight traces remain, but attention 

 to which is nevertheless important for giving 

 a true idea of the flower. The inner or car- 

 pellary circle also claims very particular 

 attention. 



The primrose has an almost fleshy root 

 with long fibres, numerous leaves spring from 

 the stem immediately above the ground, of 

 an obovate-oblong figure (that is, somewhat 

 egg-shaped, with the larger end outwards, 

 but disproportionately lengthened below), ir- 

 regularly toothed, soft, downy, and wrinkled, 

 tapering gradually into broad leafstalks, 

 with the margin folded back in the younger 

 ones. These leaves decay without dropping 

 off, and the lower portions of the leaf-stalk 

 remaining attached to the stem, swell into 

 reservoirs of nourishment, converting the 

 fleshy stem into what has been called a 

 notched or jointed root, the stem sinking 

 into the ground, and sending forth fresh 

 fibres from above each remnant of a leaf. 

 The flowers proceed, a number of them 

 together, from one common rudiment of a 

 stalk, which is sometimes elevated (espe- 

 cially in gardens) so as to have the appear- 

 ance of the oxlip or polyanthus. Each 

 flower is large, of the pleasing, pale sulphur 

 color, which takes the name of primrose, 

 with a darker radiating spot in the middle, 

 and sweet-scented. 



The calyx, or outer circle, has its five 

 sepals cohering for about two-thirds of their 

 length into a tubular, five-angled cup. The 

 corolla is salver-shaped, with the five petals 

 cohering into a tube, separating only in the 

 border. The five stamens adhere with the 

 corolla, so as to appear to spring from its 

 tube, their insertion being sometimes very 

 low, so that they are concealed from view ; 

 sometimes so high as to fill the mouth of the 

 tube, which makes the florist's distinction 

 of pin-eyed and thumb-eyed, but always 

 opposite to the petals. This is a characteris- 

 tic peculiarity of the tribe ; and as the gene- 

 ral law is for the parts of the circles to 

 alternate w T ith one another, we are naturally 

 led to seek for some explanation ( hi examina- 



