248 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



Jersey. The plant is a native of Patagonia. It is 

 regarded as a garden escape. 



The habitat is sandy waste places and sea coasts, 

 as at Plymouth. 



The habit is erect. The stem is purplish, branched, 

 with spreading hairs. The leaves are hardly stalked. 

 The radical leaves form a rosette, and are linear to 

 lance-shaped, toothed. The stem-leaves are ovate 

 to lance-shaped, narrowed at the point, wavy. The 

 leaves are bright green in colour. The lower leaves 

 are nearly flat, with green or purple nerves. 



The flowers are large, bright deep yellow, becoming 

 dull orange-red. The petals are longer than the 

 stamens. The corolla has four petals, the calyx four 

 sepals. The anthers are versatile and club-shaped. 

 The capsule is long, cylindrical, downy, 2 in. in 

 length. 



The flowers bloom in July up to September. The 

 plant is biennial or perennial, and may vary from 2 to 

 5 ft. in height. 



The flowers contain honey, which is concealed and 

 protected by hairs. The anthers are ripe in advance 

 of the stigmas. The corolla is deep, and only long- 

 tongued insects can reach the honey. The flowers 

 open in the evening, and are pollinated by night-flying 

 moths attracted by the sweet scent. During the day 

 they may, if open, be visited by long-lipped bees. The 

 flowers only last two nights. The stigma ripens on the 

 morning of the second day. Insects alight in the 

 centre of the flower, or hover over it, the eight stamens 



