82 
. THE JOURNAL OE BOTANY 
A NEW VARIETY OE VIOLA ODORATA. 
By E. S. Gregory. 
This violet was first sent to me in February 1920 by Miss C. L. Peck, 
of Maidencombe, South Devon, who found it in an orchard between 
Maidencombe and Teignmouth, in the parish of Stoke-in-Teignhead. 
On first examining it, I placed it among the supposed hybrids of 
V. hirta x odortita ; but at the same time I noted certain striking 
peculiarities, perhaps the most prominent being the pure whiteness 
of the flower. This led to my calling it “ immaculata ” when, after 
cultivating and watching it for three years at Weston-super-Mare, I 
was asked to name it as a new variety. During these three years it 
has developed into a robust example of V. odorata, having gradually 
changed the direction of its petiole-hairs to correspond with the 
depressed hairs of the scented violet, and having also acquired the 
fine scent of that species. 
It differs from V. odorata alba — V. dumetorum Jord. by its early 
and prolonged flowering (from mid-December till the end of March), 
by its tall erect growth, and by its long vigorous stolons; by its 
more distinctly herbaceous stipules ; by the stolons of the year pro¬ 
ducing flowers and fruit-—this character is shared occasional^ by 
other varieties, and is a distinguishing feature of V. alba Besser; by 
the pure whiteness of the flower—even the spur, deep purple in the 
ordinary white violet, is in this only faintly mottled under cultiva¬ 
tion, and is always recurved; and by the broader petals of the “ wide- 
awake-looking ’ flower. 
Messrs. Baker and Wilmott have seen specimens, and report:— 
“ It is a white-flowered V. odorata L. Its nearest ally seems to be 
V. incompta Jord., from which it differs by its broader petals, longer 
stolons, and other small points.” 
I have grown it in two gardens and in a box on my (south) 
balcony, all in Weston-super-Mare. In one garden (Eairleigli) it 
has this year (1922-1928) had too rich a soil; the size of the leaf 
has increased, while that of the flower has slightly diminished. In 
the box on my balcony, plants grown in 1922 from cuttings had 
shorter and much more hairy petioles than the parent plants at Fair- 
leigh, and the growth in other respects was more normal. This was 
probably due to poor soil and lack of space. 
On Jan. 30th Miss Peck kindly sent me excellent examples from 
the original habitat. I find that in the wild state it is developing, 
though more slowly than under cultivation : the chief differences 
from its 1920 state are depressed petiole-hairs of the odorata type, 
and a broader, more “ wide-aw T ake,” scented flower. In the wild 
plants the spur is darker than under cultivation. 
A like case of atavism or reversion was noted by me about twenty 
years ago in another form of V. hirta X odorata , where there was 
a change of colour (purple to white) as well as to development of 
perfume. 
Since the first planting in February, 1920, the development 
noticed has been towards a taller, more erect habit, with paler 
