Violarieae
A natural order of broadly-dispersed herbs or shrubs, the former plentiful in temperate regions, the latter more numerous in the tropics. Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely polygamous, axillary, solitary or in cymes, racemes, or panicles; sepals five, imbricated, rarely persistent; petals five, hypogynous or slightly perigynous, unequal or sub-equal, imbricated, often twisted; perfect stamens five; anthers erect; pedicels usually bibracteolate. Fruit a capsule, often opening elastically by as many seed-bearing valves as there are placentas; or an indehiscent berry. Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, simple, entire or rarely laciniate; stipules leafy or small, in the shrubby species generally deciduous. The order embraces twenty-one genera, and about 240 species, many of which are well known in gardens. Examples: Hymenanthera, Sauvagesia, Viola.