126 
POPULAR FLORA. 
Mignonette. Reseda. 
Sepals 4 to 7, green, not falling oft, open in the bud. Petals 4 to 7, unequal, on broad claws, the 
small blade cleft as if cut into several narrow slips. Stamens 10 or more, borne on an enlargement of 
the receptacle, turned to one side of the blossom. Pod short and broad, one-celled, dividing at the 
top into 3 to 6 horns, opening between the horns long before the seeds are ripe. The seeds are kidney 
shaped, numerous, and parietal, that is, borne along the walls of the pod. — Herbs, with alternate 
leaves and small dull-looking flowers crowded in a raceme or spike. 
1. Common Mignonette. Low and spreading; leaves some entire, others 3-cleft; sepals and petals 
6 or 7. Cultivated for its very fragrant small flowers. R. odurata. 
2. Dyer’s-Weed. Stem simple, upright, 2° high ; leaves all entire, broadly lance-shaped; sepals and 
petals 4. A weed along road-sides in some places; used for dying yellow. R. Luteola. 
12. VIOLET FAMILY. Order VIOLACEAE. 
Herbs with 5 sepals, 5 petals, and 5 stamens borne on the receptacle, the lower petal 
rather different from the rest and enlarged at the bottom into a projecting sac or spur. 
Stamens very short and broad, the anthers a little united by their edges around the pistil. 
Pistil one, with one style. Pod one-celled, with three rows of seeds on its walls. — Leaves 
with stipules. Roots and juice rather acrid. The common plants of the family belong to 
the genus, 
1. Violet. Viola. 
Flower nodding on the summit of the flower-stalk. Style club-shaped; stigma bent over to one 
side. — Flowering in spring, and some species continuing to blossom all summer. 
* Stemless'species, i. e. leaves and naked flower-stalks all from rootstocks on or under ground. 
-t- Garden species from Europe spreading by runners or rootstocks above ground. 
1. Sweet or English Violet. Leaves rounded heart-shaped; flowers blue-purple, also a white 
variety, very fragrant. Cultivated, generally double-flowered. V. odordta. 
■<— +- Wild species, with tufted and fleshy uneven rootstocks. Flowers short-spurred. 
++ Flowers purple or blue, nearly scentless. 
2. Common Blue V. Flowers pretty large; side-petals bearded; leaves on long upright stalks, heart- 
shaped or kidney-shaped, the sides at the bottom rolled in when young, slightly toothed, or in 
the lobed or Hand-leaf variety cleft or parted in various degrees. Low grounds. V. cucullata. 
3. Hairy V. Leaves short-stalked and flat on the ground; flowers smaller ; otherwise like the last. 
Dry soil, S. & W. V. villdsa. 
4. Arrow-leaved V. Early leaves on short and margined footstalks, oblong-heart-shaped, halberd- 
shaped, arrow-shaped, lance-oblong or ovate. Varying greatly, hairy or smoothish; side petals or 
all of them bearded ; flowers large for the size of the plant. Dry or moist ground. V. sagittata. 
5. Bird’s-foot V. Leaves cut into fine linear lobes; petals lilac-purple, large, beardless. Moist 
sandy soil. V. pedata. 
++ Flowers small, white, faintly sweet-scented, the lower petal streaked. Small, in damp soil. 
6. Bland V. Leaves rounded heart-shaped or kidney-shaped ; petals without any beard. V blanda. 
7 . Primrose-leaved V. Leaves oblong or ovate ; side-petals generally bearded. V. primulcefolia. 
