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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.

1. Viola, Linn

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-fiowered 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 100. 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 1. V. filicaulis.
Stems slender. Leaves cordate. Stipules and bracts entire 2. V. Lyallii.
Stems short. Leaves ovate. Stipules and bracts entire 3. V. Cunninghamii.
1.V. filicaulis, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 16.—Slender, perfectly glabrous. Stems numerous, almost filiform, prostrate, sometimes ascending at the tips. Leaves alternate, ovate - cordate orbicular-cordate or almost reniform, ¼–⅔ in. diam., obtuse or subacute, obtusely crenate; petioles slender. Stipules broad, deeply laciniate; teeth filiform, often glandular-tipped. Peduncles slender, 2–4 in. long; bracts about the middle, linear, toothed or lacerate. Flowers ½ in. diam. Sepals linear-lanceolate. Petals spathulate; spur short. — Handb. N.Z. Fl. 16; Kirk, Students' Fl. 40. page 45

Var. hydrocotyloides, Kirk, Students' Fl. 41.—Much smaller, sparingly pilose. Leaves ⅙–¼ in. diam. Peduncles short.—V. hydrocotyloides, Armstr. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 360.

North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Not uncommon from Whangarei southwards. Var. hydrocotyloides: Otago, Petrie! Stewart Island, Stack! Petrie! Kirk! Altitudinal range from sea-level to 4000 ft. November–February.

The long creeping stems, small leaves, and fimbriate bracts and stipules distinguish this from the two following. It produces numerous reduced or cleistogamic flowers late in summer and autumn.

2.V. Lyallii, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 16.—Perfectly glabrous. Stems slender, shorter than in V. filicaulis, ascending at the tips. Leaves ⅓–1 in. diam., broadly ovate or rounded, deeply cordate at the base, obtuse or subacute, obscurely crenate or nearly entire; petioles variable in length, 2–6 in. Stipules linear, entire. Peduncles very slender, variable in length, 3–7 in. Bracts usually above the middle, linear, entire. Flowers ½ in. diam., white streaked with lilac and yellow.—Kirk, Students' Fl. 41. V. Cun-ninghamii var. gracilis, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 16. Erpetion spathulatum, A. Cunn. Prodr. n. 622 (non G. Don.).

North and South Islands: Not uncommon from Kaitaia and Hoki-anga southwards; ascending to 4000 ft. on the Mount Arthur Plateau, Nelson. October–January.

Usually a larger plant than the preceding, with the stem not so decidedly creeping, larger leaves and longer petioles, and with the stipules and bracts entire, not lacerate. The cordate leaves separate it from V. Cunninghamii.

3.V. Cunninghamii, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 16.—Glabrous except the petioles, which are occasionally pubescent. Rootstock often somewhat woody, creeping below, often branched above. Leaves tufted at the top of the rootstock, or on short branches springing from it, ½–1 in. diam., triangular-ovate or ovate-oblong, truncate at the base or narrowed into the petiole, obtuse or subacute, obscurely crenate; petioles short or long. Stipules adnate at the base to the petiole, usually entire, acute. Peduncles slender, exceeding the leaves; bracts linear, acute. Flowers ⅓–⅔ in. diam., white, usually streaked with lilac and yellow. Sepals linear - oblong. Lateral petals bearded. — Handb. N.Z. Fl. 16; Kirk, Students' Fl. 41. V. perexigua, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 326.

North and South Islands, Stewart Island: From Rotorua and the East Cape southwards; abundant in many places, especially in the mountains. Chatham Islands: Buchanan (Trans. N.Z. Inst. vii. 334). Altitudinal range from sea-level to 5000 ft. October–January. Also found in Tasmania.

The short stems and tufted leaves, which are usually either truncate at the base or narrowed into the petioles, are the best distinguishing characters of this plant. It varies greatly in size; lowland specimens, growing among scrub, &c., sometimes have the petioles 8–9 in. long, and the peduncles of corresponding size, while alpine specimens are frequently much depauperated. The flowers of the latter, however, are usually larger than those of the lowland forms.