1587 



• 





OENOTHERA* tenella ; var. tenuifdlia. 



Large Purple Chilian Evening Primrose. 





OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 





Nat. ord. Onagrarije Juss. (Introduction to the natural system of 

 Botany, p. 56.) 



(ENOTHERA.— Supra, vol. 2.fol. 147. 



(E. tenella ; annua, caule simplici v. ramoso erecto v. ascenaente gia D ro, 

 foliis obtusis linearibus v. lineari-spatulatis planis v. canaliculate rectis 

 v. recurvatis nunc subdentatis, petalis obovatis crenulatis, staminibus 

 patentibus sequilongis, stigmatibus 4 subrotundis glandule-sis, capsulis 



cylindraceis tomentosis. . 01ft 



CE. tenella. Cavan. ic. 4. 68. t. 396. /. 2. Flora Peruviana 3. t. Jib. 



Be Cand. prodr. 3. 48. 

 9> foliis longioribus magis glaucis, floribus majoribus. 

 <E. teuuifolia. Cav. ic. 4. 67. t. 397. De Cand. prodr. 3. 48. 





When a little purple-flowered Evening Primrose was 

 introduced some years since from Chile, it was immediately 

 recognised as what had been called (E. tenella by the 

 Spanish Botanist Cavanilles. Grown in very poor soil it 

 had a simple stem, terminated by a few small axillary 

 blossoms ; but planted in the rich cultivated earth of the 

 Gardens round London, it branched, and acquired greater 

 vigour, putting forth longer and broader leaves, so that it 

 could scarcely be recognised as the poor starveling stranger 

 that had been just received. In course of time it was 

 neglected, for its novelty was gone, and its flowers wanted 

 size; so that at last the little CEnothera tenella was only 

 to be found in botanical collections. 



In 1829 the collectors who went out to Chile and the 

 islands of the Pacific with Captain Beechey, returned ; and 



* Seefol. 1142 



VOL. XIX. £ 



