﻿New 
  Species 
  of 
  Oenothera 
  525 
  

  

  of 
  young 
  seeds. 
  The 
  capsule, 
  when 
  ripe, 
  opens 
  

   at 
  its 
  summit 
  with 
  four 
  valves, 
  and 
  contains 
  

   often 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  three 
  hundred 
  seeds. 
  A 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  capsules 
  on 
  the 
  main 
  stem 
  is 
  an 
  average 
  

   estimate, 
  and 
  the 
  lateral 
  branches 
  may 
  ripen 
  

   even 
  still 
  more 
  fruits, 
  by 
  which 
  a 
  very 
  rapid 
  dis- 
  

   semination 
  is 
  ensured. 
  

  

  This 
  striking 
  species 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  locality 
  

   near 
  Hilversum, 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Amsterdam, 
  

   where 
  it 
  grew 
  in 
  some 
  thousands 
  of 
  individuals. 
  

   Ordinarily 
  biennial, 
  it 
  produces 
  rosettes 
  in 
  the 
  

   first, 
  and 
  stems 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  year. 
  Both 
  the 
  

   stems 
  and 
  the 
  rosettes 
  were 
  at 
  once 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  

   highly 
  variable, 
  and 
  soon 
  distinct 
  varieties 
  

   could 
  be 
  distinguished 
  among 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  discovery 
  of 
  this 
  locality 
  was 
  made 
  

   in 
  1886. 
  Afterwards 
  I 
  visited 
  it 
  many 
  times, 
  

   often 
  weekly 
  or 
  even 
  daily 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  

   years, 
  and 
  always 
  at 
  least 
  once 
  a 
  year 
  up 
  to 
  

   the 
  present 
  time. 
  This 
  stately 
  plant 
  showed 
  the 
  

   long-sought 
  peculiarity 
  of 
  producing 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  new 
  species 
  every 
  year. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  

   observed 
  directly 
  on 
  the 
  field, 
  either 
  as 
  stems 
  

   or 
  as 
  rosettes. 
  The 
  latter 
  could 
  be 
  transplanted 
  

   into 
  my 
  garden 
  for 
  further 
  observation, 
  and 
  

   the 
  stems 
  yielded 
  seeds 
  to 
  be 
  sown 
  under 
  like 
  

   control. 
  Others 
  were 
  too 
  weak 
  to 
  live 
  a 
  suffi- 
  

   ciently 
  long 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  They 
  were 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  by 
  sowing 
  seed 
  from 
  indifferent 
  plants 
  

  

  