Next after the roses and the lilies, the violet is held in the highest esteem: of this there are several varieties, the purple,1934 the yellow, and the white, all of them reproduced from plants, like the cabbage. The purple violet, which springs up spontaneously in sunny spots, with a thin, meagre soil, has larger petals than the others, springing immediately from the root, which is of a fleshy substance. This violet has a name, too, distinct from the other wild kinds, being called “ion,”1935 and from it the ianthine1936 cloth takes its name.

Among the cultivated kinds, the yellow1937 violet is held in the greatest esteem. The Tusculan violet, and that known as the “marine”1938 violet, have petals somewhat broader than the others, but not so odoriferous; the Calatian1939 violet, too, which has a smaller leaf, is entirely destitute of smell. This last is a present to us from the autumn, the others from the spring.