O E N 



O E N 



of a small size, plunging them in the hot-bed, 

 water and occasional shade being given till fresh 

 rooted, with fresh air and water in small propor- 

 tions afterwards. In the latter end of the spring or 

 beginning of summer, they should be begun to be 

 hardened, and in the hot weather set out in the 

 open air where wanted. Some may be set out in 

 the borders in the open ground, a slight watering 

 being given at the time. 



In order to obtain good seeds, a few of the 

 potted plants should be placed in a good green- 

 house or glass case in the latter end of the sum- 

 mer, fresh air being freely admitted. 



The first sort and varieties are often used as 

 culinary herbs, and all the sorts may be set out 

 among other potted pknts in rooms and win- 

 dows, especially the bush sort, as well as in the 

 borders and clumps for ornament and variety. 



OENOTHERA, a genus containing plants of 

 the herbaceous, biennial, perennial and under 

 shrubby perennial kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Oclandria, 

 Mouagynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Cahjcanthfrnce. 



The characters are: that the calyx is a one-leaf- 

 ed, superior, deciduous perianthium: tube cylin- 

 drical, erect, long, deciduous : border four-cleft : 

 the segments oblong, acute, bent down : the co- 

 rolla has four petals, obcordate, flat, inserted into 

 the interstices of the calyx, and the same length 

 with the divisions of the calyx : the stamina have 

 eight awl-shaped filaments, curved inwards, in- 

 serted into the throat of the calyx, shorter than 

 the corolla: anthersoblong, incumbent: thepistil- 

 lum is a cylindrical germ, inferior : style filiform, 

 the length of the stamens : stigma four-cleft, 

 thick, blunt, reflex: the periearpium is a cylin- 

 drical capsule, four-cornered, four-celled, four- 

 valved, with contrary partitions : the seeds very 

 many, angular, naked : the receptacle columnar, 

 free, four-cornered, with the angles contiguous 

 to the margin of the partitions. 



The species cultivated arc: 1. 0. biennis, 

 Broad-leaved Tree- Primrose ; 2. 0. lungijiora, 

 Long-flowered Tree-Primrose; 3. O. moflisslma, 

 Soft Tree -Prim rose; 4. 0. frutkoui, Shrubby 

 Tree- Primrose ; 5. O. pavrila, Dwarf Tree- 

 Primrose. 



The first has a biennial fusiform fibrous root, 

 yellowish on the outside, white within : from 

 ■this, the first year, arise many obtuse leaves, 

 which spread flat on theground ; and from among 

 which, the second year, the stems come out, 

 three or four feet high, upright, of a pale green 

 colour, the thickness of a finger, not hollow but 

 pithy, angular, slightly pubescent and rugged, 

 tinged with purple, especially towards the bottom, 

 branched alternately almost from the ground: 



the root-leaves run down into a three-sided pe- 

 tiole an inch in length : the stem-leaves sessile, 

 bright ligl.tish green, pubescent on both sides, 

 waved a little about the edge, and having a few 

 small teeth near the base : they are from five to 

 seven inches in length and two inches in breadth, 

 having a considerable midrib running the whole 

 length, very wide and tinged with purple towards 

 the base, at the back very prominent, with white 

 nerves springing from it, and curved towards the 

 point : the flowers are. produced all along the 

 stalks on axillary branches, and in a terminating 

 spike : the leaves on the former are similar to the 

 stem-leaves, but much smaller, being not more 

 than two inches long, and little more than half 

 an inch in breadth : the flowers are solitary, each 

 being separated by a leaflet or bracte, wider in 

 proportion at the base than the proper leaves, 

 and drawn more to a point, diminishing gradu- 

 ally towards the top of the spike, till they be- 

 come linear, scarcely half an inch in length, and 

 a line in breadth. 



It is observed that the flowers usually open 

 between six and seven o'clock in the evening, 

 whence the plant is called Evening or Night- 

 Primrose : the uppermost flowers come out first 

 in June, the stalk keeping continually advancing 

 in height, and there is a constant succession of 

 flowers till late in autumn. It is a native of 

 North America. The roots are said to be eaten 

 in some countries in the spring season. 



The second species has also a biennial root : 

 the root -leaves are numerous, broad-lanceolate, 

 toothletted, pubescent, with a white rib, ob- 

 liquely nerved : the stems usually five, springing 

 out below the root-leaves, quite simple, ascend- 

 ing, rough-haired, green with long spreading 

 white hairs : the central stem grows up later : 

 the stem-leaves are ovate-oblong, sessile, like the 

 root-leaves : the flowers axillary from the upper 

 leaves, with the germ and calyx hairy. It is 

 remarked by Curtis, that luxuriant specimens 

 exceed five feet in height, that the flowers are un- 

 commonly large and showy, and continue blow- 

 ing from July to October. It is a native of 

 Buenos Ayres. 



The third has a shrubby slalk more than two 

 feet high, hairy, with narrow-lanceolate sessile 

 leaves, a little waved on their edges, and ending 

 in acute points: the flowers are axillary like the 

 other sorts, at first pale yellow, but as they de- 

 cay changing to an orange colour, smaller than 

 those of the first sort : the seed-vessels slendef, 

 taper, hairy. It is also a biennial plant, and a 

 native of Buenos Ayres. flowering from June to 

 October. 



The fourth species is a perennial, but alto- 

 gether herbaceous, at least here, and therefoie 



