1914] Brandegee: Variation in Oenothera ovata 43 



questions of interspecific hybridity and simplifies tlie nomenclatural 

 difficulties that encumber many species. For these reasons the plant 

 is much more satisfactory as an example of pure variation than many 

 others that have been more studied. 



The plant is perennial, or at least biennial, having a large and deep 

 root, the outer blackened layer splitting and cracking, showing the 

 inner white portion. It abounds in starch and might be used as food 

 in necessity, though it is slightly acrid. Helow the surface of the 

 ground it often branches, forming two or more nearly fiat crowns 

 1-3 cm. across. With the help of Miss H. A. Walker. I counted the 

 fruits, flowers, and buds of a large plant of this kind. There were 

 in all, separable by a hand lens, 247. About twenty flowers were 

 expanded at the time. 



Around the outer border of the crown the leaves spread hor- 

 izontally, making flat mats 10-45 cm. across, the later leaves being 

 shorter and more or less upright. The specific name is somewhat of 

 a misnomer, the leaves being usually lanceolate, with long, margined 

 petioles (cf., however, pi. 8, fig. 3). The blades are broad or narrow, 

 usually undulate, occasionally pinnatifid, smooth or bullate, rarely 

 quite entire, glabrous above, ciliate on the margins, and on the veins 

 below, occasionally sparsely muricate. 



The color variation in the vegetative parts of these plants is much 

 more striking than in the forms of Oe. biennis-Lamarckiana that have 

 furnished us such a quantity of segregates. Plants growing side by 

 side may have their petioles, midribs, calyx lobes and "tube" a glow- 

 ing ruby-red or an ivory white. Either of these may be shining or 

 may be dull. The shining leaves appear to be confined to sunny spots, 

 as do the deepest reds, while white plants are found also in the shade. 

 Every gradation is to be seen between the extremes of coloring; 

 sometimes the red is less in depth, sometimes it affects particular 

 organs — as, for instance, the inside of the calyx, leaving the outside 

 green; rarelj^ all the veins are red, usually, however, only the midrib 

 shows the color. 



The plants begin to flower early in the spring, sometimes even as 

 early as January, the time varying especially with the time of the 

 early rains. In most cases the fullest bloom Ix-gins and ends 

 with the month of April. They rc(|nir(» abundant niDistui-c and 

 are i)articularly at home in oozing .slopes, all parts al)ove ground 

 soon dying as the ground dries. The forms noti'd in this paper and 

 figured in the accompanying plates were not isolated variations occur- 



