n i l
blunt, entire, glabrous, the lower half white and streaked
with dark blue veins, the claw wider, hollow, spurred
behind, and finely pubescent within; claws short, white,
and channelled, of a thicker consistence than the rest of
the petals. Spur very short, saccate, blunt, ventricose,
livid purple. Stamens 5, connate. Filaments very short,
stout, compressed, glabrous, pale green. Anthers 5 times
longer than the filaments, cream coloured, the crest oblong,
obtuse, cucullate, membranous, orange, about as long as
the anthers, the edges involute. Ovarium oblong-conical,
glabrous. Style clavate, nearly as long as the ovarium.
Stigma ascending, thick, triangular, marginate, the
low'er angle rather more prominent and terminating in a
foramen.
This very pretty violet is common throughout a great
portion of the United States of North America, delighting
in wet places, and in a clayey soil. It was introduced to
our gardens in 1772, and was first described by Solander
in the Hortus Kewensis. It is a hardy perennial of very
easy culture, being readily increased either by parting the
roots or by seeds. Our drawing was taken at Mr. Knight’s,
King’s Road, Chelsea, in May last.
The V. papilionacea of Pursh closely resembles this
species, and indeed by Nuttall and several other American
Botanists it is regarded as a mere variety of it, an opinion
which, from an attentive examination of several authentic
specimens, I am not disposed to adopt, as I find in them the
lower petal constantly strongly bearded, and the margin of
the stigma more prominent. There are some others, such
as obliqua and sororia whose characters are less marked, and
which may very possibly prove to be only varieties of the
present.
See fol. 126, for the meaning of the generic name.
F . Don.
1. Lateral petal. and 3. Anthers. 4. Pistil.
i f Oii-f l o t A '< -