THE EVENING PRIMROSES OF DIXIE LANDING, 



ALABAMA. 



Bartram's locality for Oenothera grandiflora at Dixie Landing 

 on the Alabama River some distance above Fort Mimms (1778) was 

 rediscovered by Professor S, M. Tracy in 1904 and visited a second 

 time by him in 1907. Seeds procured by Tracy have been widely 

 distributed and have given rise to races of Oenothera grandiflora 

 which are being studied by several investigators. 



Oenothera grandiflora is one of the nearest allies of 0^. Lamarckiana 

 and seems to agree with that species in at least some points per- 

 taining to mutability and behavior on hybridizing. Its study may 

 at some time lead to an explanation of those phenomena which 

 until a short time ago seemed peculiar to Oe. Lamarckiana. Conse- 

 quently it seemed to us to be of primary importance to study Oe. 

 grandiflora in its original habitat, and we visited Dixie Landing 

 under the kind guidance of Professor Tracy, on September 26 and 27. 



It had been known from cultures grown by Professor B. M. Davis 

 from Professor Tracy's wild seed that Oe. grandiflora did not occur 

 at Dixie Landing as a single pure strain. It was no surprise, there- 

 fore, to find growing in the old cotton fields several forms of Oe. 

 grandiflora, together with several forms of its companion species 

 Oe. Tracyi, which has recently been described by one of us. The 

 plants were partly in flower and partly in the rosette condition. 

 Neither Oe. grandiflora nor Oe. Tracyi has heretofore been known 

 as other than annual, and the abundance of rosettes which would 

 obviously not flower this season was therefore a point of great 

 interest. Seeds were obtained from all strains which had ripe cap- 

 sules, and in addition a large collection of rosettes was sent to 

 Washington to be grown there. 



The evening primroses are found all along the river bluffs, often 

 at the very edge of the perpendicular bank, which is some twenty 

 feet higher than the river. In the old cotton fields they evidently 

 find a favorable habitat, as may be concluded from their abundance 

 in even very recently cultivated fields. The two species, Oenothera 

 grandiflora and Oe. Tracyi, were found growing together in all the 

 fields which we studied, including those from which Professor 



