flowers flower species VIOLET. The violets comprise a genus of
at least one hundred, some say two hundred species, found
principally in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere ; a
few also occur in mountainous districts of South America, while
the genus is not wholly without representatives in Australia.
The species are mostly low-growing herbs with alternate leaves
provided with large leafy stipules. The flowers are solitary, or
rarely in pairs, at the end of slender axillary flower stalks.
The flowers themselves are very irregular in form, with five
sepals prolonged at the base, and five petals, the lowest one
larger than the others and provided with a spur. The five
anthers are remarkable for the petal-like processes which extend
beyond the anther cells and form a sort of cone around the
style. The ovary is superior, one-celled, with three parietal
placentas and numerous ovules. It is surmounted by a single
style, which terminates in a dilated or hook-like u The fruit is
a capsule bursting loculicidal