; " -BLATINAC 569 
Elatine. | ELATINACEAE. 
minute.—Z’. Kirk Students’ Fl. (1899) 66; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. FI. (1906) 
73. EB. americana Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i (1853) 27; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 
(1864) 28. KE. gratioloides A. Cunn, Precur, (1839) n. 610. 
Norra anp Sours Istanps, Stewart Isnanp: Muddy places and margins of still 
waters, not uncommon. 
The New Zealand plant, which is also found in Australia, differs from the typical 
form of the species, which is North American, in the flowers being always trimerous, 
while in America they are usually dimerous. Mr. Carse sends me a permanently 
submerged form, in which the leaves are quite half an inch in length. 
Family LXX. VIOLACEAE. 
Herbs, shrubs, or small trees. Leaves usually alternate, simple, entire 
lobed or cut, stipulate. Flowers reguiar or irregular, axillary, solitary or 
arranged in cymes or panicles, rarely racemose. Sepals 5, equal or unequal, 
imbricate. Petals 5, hypogynous, equal or unequal, lower one sometimes 
spurred, usually imbricate. Stamens 5, hypogynous; filaments short, 
broad; anthers erect, free or connate round the pistil ; connective broad, 
usually produced beyond the cells into an appendage. Ovary free, i-celled, 
with 3-5 parietal placentas ; ovules many or few to each placenta. Fruit 
either a 3-5-valved capsule ora berry. Seeds usually small; embryo straight, 
in the axis of fleshy albumen. 
A family scattered over the whole world, containing 18 genera and about 300 species. 
The roots of many of the species are emetic, and are used as a substitute for ipecacuanha. 
One of the New Zealand genera is found in most countries ; the other two have a very 
limited distribution outside the Dominion, 
Herbs. Flowers irregular, the lower petal produced into a spur. 
Fruit a capsule .. - = 4 ae e — J, AGRA 
Trees or shrubs. Flowers regular. Fruit a berry. 
Anthers free .. ss MS 4 a .. 2. MELIcyTus. 
Anthers coherent ae he ah ay. .. 3&3 HYMENANTHERA. 
eee Xi Bes 1. VIOLA Linn. 
Annual or perennial herbs of small size. Leaves tufted at the top of a 
short woody rootstock or alternate on creeping or trailing stems, stipulate. 
Flowers irregular, on radical or axillary 1-flowered peduncles. Sepals 5, 
slightly produced at the base. Petals 5, spreading, the lowest usually 
longer and spurred at the base. Anthers 5, nearly sessile, the connectives 
flat, produced into a thin membrane beyond the cells, the two lower often 
spurred at the base. Style swollen above, straight or oblique at the tip. 
Capsule 3-valved; valves elastic, each with a single parietal placenta. 
Seeds ovoid or globose. 
A large genus, widely diffused in all temperate climates, the species probably 
numbering considerably over 200. Two of the New Zealand species are endemic, the 
third extends to Tasmania. 
In most of the species of the genus the flowers are dimorphic ; some, which are 
usually produced early in the flowering season, having conspicuous flowers with large 
petals, as a rule ripening few seeds; others, which appear in late summer or autumn, 
being much smaller, with either minute petals or none at all, but which ripen abundance 
of seed. These are usually called cleistogamic flowers. 
Stems slender, elongated. Leaves cordate. Stipules and bracts 
lacerate es “3 ah f. me -.» L. V. filicauirs, 
Stems slender, Leaves cordate. Stipules and bracts entire .. 2. V. Lyallii. 
Stems short. Leaves ovate. Stipules and bracts entire 3. V. Cunninghamir. 
