﻿New 
  Species 
  of 
  Oenothera 
  545 
  

  

  narily 
  met 
  with 
  among 
  the 
  offspring 
  of 
  the 
  

   shiny 
  evening 
  - 
  primrose. 
  They 
  are 
  oblonga, 
  

   lata 
  and 
  nanella. 
  Oblonga 
  was 
  observed 
  at 
  

   times 
  to 
  constitute 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  1% 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  

   the 
  sowings 
  of 
  scintillans, 
  while 
  lata 
  and 
  

   nanella 
  were 
  commonly 
  seen 
  only 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   scattering 
  individuals, 
  although 
  seldom 
  lacking 
  

   in 
  experiments 
  of 
  a 
  sufficient 
  size. 
  

  

  Secondly 
  the 
  instability 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  con- 
  

   stant 
  quality, 
  although 
  the 
  words 
  themselves 
  are 
  

   at 
  first 
  sight, 
  contradictory. 
  I 
  mean 
  to 
  con- 
  

   vey 
  the 
  conception 
  that 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  instability 
  

   remains 
  unchanged 
  during 
  successive 
  genera- 
  

   tions. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  curious 
  fact, 
  and 
  strongly 
  

   reminds 
  us 
  of 
  the 
  hereditary 
  conditions 
  of 
  

   striped-flower 
  varieties. 
  But, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  

   the 
  atavists, 
  which 
  are 
  here 
  the 
  individuals 
  

   with 
  the 
  stature 
  and 
  the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  

   lamarckiana, 
  have 
  become 
  lamarckianas 
  in 
  

   their 
  hereditary 
  qualities, 
  too. 
  If 
  their 
  seed 
  is 
  

   saved 
  and 
  sown, 
  their 
  progeny 
  does 
  not 
  contain 
  

   any 
  scintillans, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  might 
  

   arise 
  by 
  ordinary 
  mutations. 
  

  

  One 
  other 
  inconstant 
  new 
  species 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   noted, 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  rare 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  

   and 
  in 
  my 
  cultures, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  difficult 
  of 
  cul- 
  

   tivation, 
  little 
  can 
  as 
  yet 
  be 
  said 
  about 
  it. 
  It 
  is 
  

   the 
  Oenothera 
  elliptica, 
  with 
  narrow 
  elliptical 
  

   leaves 
  and 
  also 
  with 
  elliptical 
  petals. 
  It 
  re- 
  

  

  