EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY 



mens and a four-cleft pure white pistil. When the sun- 

 shine slants through the long, grey hairs of the stems and 

 leaves and the pink flowers give the needed touch of colour, 

 the sight is indeed a fine one. 



Mrs. Owen says that the plant was raised "in or about 

 1855 in a garden in Union St. from which it gradually 

 spread by seed." 



ONAGRACE^E EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY 



(Enothera biennis, L. 



Yellow 



Evening Primrose. 

 July-October 



(Enothera: an old name of unknown origin for a species of 



Epilobium (willow-herb). 

 Biennis: Latin for biennial. 



THE PREFERRED HABITAT: dry, sandy soil of fields, the 

 Commons, even beach sand. 



THE PLANT: erect, generally stout, one foot to six feet high; 

 the stem simple and wand-like or branched, with many or 

 few short, slightly stiff hairs, rarely without any. 



THE LEAVES: opposite; lanceolate, tending to oblong; one 

 inch to six inches long; acute to acuminate at the apex; 

 narrowed at the base; sessile or the lowest petioled; slightly 

 toothed or toothless; the bracts leaf -like, lanceolate, usu- 

 ally shorter than the flower-stems. 



THE FLOWERS: large, in terminal spikes, leafy-bracted ; 

 eight prominent stamens. The flowers usually open just 

 before sundown and fade in the strong sunshine of the 

 following day. Lemon-scented 



THE FRUIT: an oblong capsule, narrowed above, abruptly 

 cut off at the tip, having short, soft hairs. 



251 



