Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/382

 302 VIOLET though this character is variable : some of our violets are among the most showy of the genus ; they are either quite scentless, or with a very slight odor. In the section of stemless violets, Blrd's-foot Violet (Viola pedata). the most common of all is the blue or hooded violet ( F. eucullata), so called probably be- cause the blade of the long-petioled, heart- shaped leaf has its sides rolled inward at the base when young. This species varies greatly in size, the flower stems being from 8 to 10 in. high ; it is very abundant in low grounds, forming large clumps, with its large flowers from deep to pale violet, and 'sometimes white or variegated with white ; varieties of this have been called hand-leaf violet ( V.palmata), the leaves being variously cleft, and heart-leaf violet ( V. cordata and V. mllosa). The arrow- leaved violet ( V. sagittate) is usually in drier places than the preceding, with narrow and often arrow-shaped leaves. The bird's-foot violet ( V. pedata) is most abundant in sandy places ; its leaves are handsomely cut into nar- row lobes ; the flowers, the largest of the na- tive species, are usually pale lilac-purple ; it is frequently found with white flowers, and in the variety bieolor the two "upper petals are of a deep violet color and have the velvety ap- pearance of those of the pansy ; in its typical form, and in its varieties, this is an excellent plant for the garden, where it forms largo clumps which flower nearly all summer. In the west this is replaced by the larkspur violet (F. delphinifolia), which differs mainly in the division of the leaves. In this section of stem- less violets are three with small white flowers, the lower petal veined with purple ; they are common in damp places ; the sweet white ( F. blanda) has kidney-shaped leaves, the lance- leaved ( F. lanceolata) erect narrow leaves, and the primrose-leaved violet ( F. primula- folia) oblong or ovate leaves. The only yel- low-flowered species of this section, the round- leaved violet (F. rotundifolia), is found in northern cold woods and southward on the mountains. In the section of leafy-stemmed violets, the most common is the American va- riety of the European dog violet ( F. canina, var. sylvestris, formerly F. Muhlenbergii) ; it is a low plant with creeping branches, and small light violet flowers, the spur half as long as the petals. The long-spurred violet (F. rostrata) is a rather taller plant, the spur being longer than the petals ; a species with a simi- lar habit of growth, the pale violet ( F. striatd), has cream-colored flowers, the lower petal of which is marked with purple lines. The Can- ada violet ( F. Canadensis) is a taller plant than any of the preceding, growing from 1 to 2 ft. high,' and most common northward; the pe- tals are white or purplish, with the two upper ones violet-purple on the under side. There are two yellow-flowered species in this section, which have but few leaves, borne near the top of the stem ; the downy yellow violet ( F. pubes- cent) has heart-shaped leaves, and is quite com- mon in woods; and the halberd-leaved violet ( F. hastata), which is quite rare, has leaves of the form from which it takes its name. Among the ten or more species of the far west and the Pacific coast are found represen- tatives of the different subdivisions in which the eastern ones are grouped. Several Euro- pean violets are cultivated, the most generally known being F. tricolor, the pansy, which has become naturalized in some parts of the coun- try, and the field pansy (var. arvensis), which is so common a weed in England, is sometimes found growing in the far west aa if it were a native. In the wild state the pansy is exceed- ingly variable, and more than a dozen species have been made of it by European botanists ; it is an annual, a biennial, and sometimes a short- lived perennial, with branching angled stems, variously shaped leaves, and very large, leaf- like lobed stipules ; the flowers are variable in color, being purple, whitish, or yellow, with Pansy (Viola tricolor). sometimes all three colors in the same flower in the wild plant. The pansy has long been in cultivation, and is generally popular, as is shown by the great number of names and fan-