V I O L A laftea.
Cream-coloured Violet.
P E N T A N D R ’I A Monogynia.
G en. Char. Cal. 5-leaved. Petals 5 , irregular, the
lowermoft fpurred behind. Capfule fuperior, of
one cell, with 3 valves.
Spec. C har. Stem afcending. Leavesovato-lanceolate.
Syn . Viola canina, var. 3 . With, a62.
W e are extremely doubtful of the permanency of th is
fpecies, and now publilh it as diftinft from V. canina, rather in
conformity to the opinion of others, and in hopes of h a v in g th e
point cleared up by inveftigation and culture, than as w i lh in g
to decide upon it ourfelves. The root from which our fp e c i -
men was taken, was gathered on the wolds near T u n b r id g e -
wells, by Mr. T . F. Forfter, jun. and flowered lately in h is g a r den.
This gentleman communicated it to Mr. Sowerby, a s a
new fpecies of Viola ; and his opinion is of the greateft w e i g h t ,
no one hitherto having ftudied this whole genus, both fo r e ig n
and domeftic, half fo accurately and laborioufly.
The root is perennial. Herb in all its parts much fm a l le r
than the canina, quite fmooth. Stems procumbent at the b a fe ,
and throwing out radicles, then ere£t, round, branched, le a f y .
Leaves alternate, on footftalks about their own length, g e n e r a lly
ereft, lanceolate or inclining to ovate, decurrent ( n o t c o r date)
at their bafe, veiny, crenate, rather obtufe. S t i p u k
deeply toothed, and often pinnatifid. Flower-ftalks a x i l la r y ,
folitary, ere£t, rifing as high as the branches, each b e a r i n g ab o v e
its middle a pair of purplilh lanceolate bra&eae, moftly to o th e d
near their bafe, and at the top one nodding flower. C a l y x -
leaves linear-lanceolate. Petals cream-coloured, obtufe, m u c h
narrower than in V . canina, ftreaked, efpecially the lower on e ,
with purple lines difpofed as thofe in V. canina, and the tw o
fide petals (as in that) are hairy above the bafe. S p u r Ihort
and blunt. Antherse terminating in a broad dilated m em b r a n e ,
not cohering to each other. What diftinguilhes our V. lafiea
from canina is principally the narrow and lanceolate (not h e a r t-
like) form of the leaves, which if permanent is fufficient. The
ftipulse alfo appear to be more deeply cut; and the b r a t te a s ,
which are entire and almoft fetaceous in canina, are lanceolate,
and moftly toothed. It flowers in May, and, if we are r ig h t m
the quotation of Dr. Withering, has been found by Mr. S ta c k -
houfe in Cornwall.