﻿204 
  Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  

  

  at 
  its 
  base. 
  The 
  two 
  lateral 
  lobes 
  are 
  narrower, 
  

   sometimes 
  linear, 
  and 
  are 
  often 
  prolonged 
  into 
  

   an 
  awn, 
  which 
  is 
  generally 
  turned 
  away 
  from 
  

   the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  spike. 
  The 
  central 
  lobe 
  some- 
  

   times 
  bears 
  two 
  florets 
  at 
  its 
  base, 
  although 
  but 
  

   one 
  is 
  usually 
  present 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  incomplete. 
  

   I 
  might 
  give 
  one 
  more 
  instance 
  from 
  my 
  own 
  

   experience. 
  A 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  evening 
  -primrose 
  

   with 
  small 
  linear 
  petals 
  was 
  once 
  found 
  by 
  one 
  

   of 
  my 
  sons 
  growing 
  wild 
  near 
  Amsterdam. 
  It 
  

   was 
  represented 
  by 
  only 
  one 
  individual, 
  flower- 
  

   ing 
  among 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  type 
  

   with 
  broad 
  petals. 
  But 
  the 
  evening-primroses 
  

   open 
  their 
  anthers 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  fertilize 
  

   themselves 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  and 
  only 
  display 
  

   their 
  beautiful 
  flowers 
  in 
  the 
  evening, 
  after 
  the 
  

   pollination 
  has 
  been 
  accomplished. 
  They 
  then 
  

   allure 
  evening 
  moths, 
  such 
  as 
  Agrotis 
  and 
  

   Plusia, 
  by 
  their 
  bright 
  color, 
  their 
  sweet 
  honey- 
  

   smell 
  and 
  their 
  nectar. 
  Since 
  the 
  fertiliza- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  accomplished 
  many 
  hours 
  before 
  opening, 
  

   crosses 
  are 
  effected 
  only 
  in 
  rare 
  instances, 
  and 
  

   the 
  seeds 
  commonly 
  remain 
  true 
  to 
  the 
  parent- 
  

   type. 
  The 
  seeds 
  of 
  this 
  one 
  plant, 
  when 
  sown 
  

   separately 
  in 
  my 
  garden, 
  produced 
  exclusively 
  

   flowers 
  with 
  the 
  small 
  linear 
  petals 
  of 
  their 
  

   parent. 
  Although 
  I 
  had 
  a 
  hundred 
  individuals 
  

   bearing 
  many 
  thousands 
  of 
  flowers, 
  there 
  was 
  

   not 
  an 
  instance 
  of 
  reversion. 
  And 
  such 
  would 
  

  

  