May I, 1903.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTUKIST. 
765 
"VIOLETS OF ALL SORTS." 
— Tusser. 
If the early records of the Violet were accepted 
in a too literal sense, its use aa a medicinal agent 
or as a food would lead to the inference that the 
early Eaglishwoman was a too devoted utilitarian 
to have any room in her constitution for mere senti- 
ment. But it ia more pleasiug to think that the Violet 
though estimable in its way aa the constituent of 
a salve, or a remedy for headache or neuralgia, or 
even as an ingredient in the universal pottage so 
dearly loved by the old-time Englishman, was at the 
same time no stranger iu the plot of plesant flowers. 
One of the marked characteristics of mediasval times 
was the strong liking for aromatic and sweet smelling 
flowers, nnd we may be sure the Violet was not 
forgotten among these. At the same time, there is 
no room to doubt that the Violet is indebted to 
Shakespeare for its position. Ha it was who pub- 
lished its perfume — 
' Sweet thief, whence didst thou steal thy sweet 
that amellsj 
If not from my love's breath 1 " 
Its purity— 
'* From her fair and unpolluted flesh 
May Violet spring," 
Its fragility— 
" Forward not permanent ; sweet, not lasting ; 
The perfume and suppliance of a minute- 
No more." 
The Violets Spencer painted were of a less noble 
type. He needed " Primroses greene " to " embellish 
the sweete Violet," Milton oalla it the " glowing," 
Violet," and misses the plant altogether. Iu the 
routine of daily life the flowers were used for strewing 
sometimes the bridal bed — " Lay her in Lilies and 
in Violets"; sometimes the grave — 
" And Violets and every kind 
Of flowers, about the grave 
They strawe." 
In the garden, along with Camomile and other 
sweet-smelliag flowers, Violets were planted on seats 
and banks ; nor is it at all improbable that Shakes- 
peare had an artificial bank of this nature in view. 
"Where Oxlips and the nodding- Violets grow" 
and certainly so, the bank of Violets in Tioelfth 
Night. 
In the Cowitiia h arnie and works of a kindred nature, 
recipes are to be found of method of preserving the 
flowers of Violets " for salad to serve all the year." 
Syrups , conserves, and sugar-plates composed of Violet 
flowers and sugar, were in much request fer lung 
affections, coughs, aud agues, and in every case it 
was essential to gather the flowers early in the 
morning previous to sunrise, in order that the virtues 
and sweet smell should be preserved. In ancient 
vocabularies, Viola is translated Banwyrt, Hofe, Appel- 
leaf, and a few more names not applicable, as for 
example, " Clover," which would appear to refer to 
the cut-leaved form of Viola tricolor : but by the 
time Turner initiated the recording of English plants 
and names, it was recognised simply as a Violet, 
On the other hand, quite a large number of plants 
other than the Violet bore the name, and some 
without possessing the slightest lesemb'ance to jus- 
tify the application. Thus Spanish Violet at one 
time was popularly applied to Lupinns lutens, both 
Patlsinson and Cole mentioning the fact. Several 
campanulate flowers also acquired the name, but 
from a Latin sonrce. Thus. Uanti ina pneumonanthe 
was widely roooguiaed as the Oaliithian or autumn 
Violet, and the spring Gentiim ihe blue Violet. Viola 
Mariana in the same way bscamo Ma;rie or Marian 
Violet, and Meroarie'a Violet, and is Campanula 
medium. The pretty C-impanula hybrida is the Corn ; 
and the yet prettier Speculaiia speculum, the Five 
cornered Violet. Then of bulbous Violets there is 
the Snowdrop, alao called Narcissus Violet, and ths 
Leuooiums or Snowflake*. One cau sympathise with 
9ii 
Turner in his search for appropriata names, when 
he oalla Cyclamen Enropasum the Rape Violet, at 
the period of fairly descriptive of the plant, for then 
and long afterwards Kape was aijplied to the Turnip, 
aud Violet was not at all inappiopriate. It is, in- 
deed, one of the old-f'ishioued numes that we could 
ill nfford to lose, the more so when its botanical 
equivalent is all we have left. The Dog's Tooth 
Violet (Eiythronium dens-canis) has a general ap- 
pearance to the last-named, though it ia the root, 
that is the distinguishing part ; just as with Den- 
taria bulbifera, the scaly roots are the medium by 
which it has acquired the same name. It haa also 
been called merely Toothed Violet. The last-named 
brings ua in touch with the Orucifers, some of which 
are Violets, but I think in every case from a directly 
Latin source, just as the Dentaria is. Nor was the 
designation confined to England, for we find it 
current in forms modified to the speech of the 
several countries, in all the chief European nations. 
Lyte explains that, " under the name of Viola in 
Latine are commonly comprehended all sortes of 
floures which be anything like violets" — meaning 
Viola alba TMafhiola inoana) and V. lutea (Chei- 
ranthus Cheiri), the former the white Violet and 
Guernsey Violet, the latter the yellow and tree 
Violet, Other plants of this group comprise 
Hesperis matronali^, rejoicing in a varied as- 
sortment of epithets, e.g., Queen's, Rogue's, Dame's 
Damask, end sometimes Guernsey Violets. When 
Lunaria biennis was introduoed to the notice of 
botanists it was dubbed the Strange or Foreign Vio- 
let but Gerarde, in addition to the name applied 
to the flowers, supplies along list of names derived 
from the white membrane separating the flat seed- 
vessels. These are "Penny-flonre or Money-floure. 
Silver Plate, Pricke Songwort ; in Norfolke, Sattin 
and White Sattin and among our women it is called 
Honestie." Honesty is still its common name, but 
they are mistaken who ascribe its imposition on ac- 
count of some supposed virtue possessed by the plant 
of instilling honesty into the minds of its cultivators. 
The name refers to another kind of honesty, and 
is indeed merely the popular name of a membrane 
which the white dividing wall of the depleted seed- 
vessel of the plant resembles. To Parkinson we are 
indebted for the knowledge of its tubers having been 
eaten, though their use seems at no time to have been 
extensive. Hottonia palustris, the "Water Violet, de- 
rives its common name from the appearance of the 
flower to the Orucifers. Pinguicula vulgaris is the 
Irish or Mursh Violet ; and among other plants, 
the Lily of the Vglley may be mentioned as one 
that narrowly escaped being a Violet ! 
Reverting now to the true Viola of botanists, we 
discover among the numerous namea of the Pansy 
thoae of Horse Violet, three-leaved and Trinity 
Violet, Autumn Violet, and the leaa Violet. Of these 
the two last are of peculiar interest. The latter 
is also called Banwert and Mygelwort in Medical 
Workes of the XIV. Cent., and at first sight Gen- 
tiana, pneumonauthe would appear to be the plant. 
But it negatively was of so littie importance in 
mediciue aa to bo the thrust among the other Gen- 
tians for its virtues, and among these the " congluti- 
nacing " of bonea is not to be found. The plant 
is really the variety of Viola tricolor, distinguished 
by botanists aa ■' arvenaia," and good descriptiona of 
what early French writers call ''grosses and mennes 
pensees," are to be found in Liebanld'a La JJaisoti 
Biistib, and Da Sevres' great work on agriculture. 
In the CoMKici'ei'rto/ie, Mi'Uue Pens6e is translated 
Autumue Violet, from its flowering late in the year, 
and its value as a bouewort is fully described. Aa 
banwyrt, the olJ form of boue-wort, it occurs in 
the oldest vooabulariss aloug with common Violet 
and Wallflower, the latter being called Violn aurosa. 
This and the Pansy have an altogether curious re» 
Irttlonship, for u.^t only were they described as Ban- 
wyrt but they were both known as Tree-Violets a 
naiqe tha.ti (he Wivllfl<J\rer still retail in Fraucr, 
