MUTATIONS, VARIATIONS, AND RELATIONSHIPS OF THE) OENOTHERAS. 7J 



The last character would appear to be an accidental one, that is, if the name 

 belongs at all to the plant in question here, and it is extremely doubtful if 

 that point can ever be definitely settled. 



Some of the capsules of the Madrid plant showed a distinct bifid termination 

 of the valves of the capsules, but in the Maine plant that character was less dis- 

 tinct or altogether lacking. The Spanish plants and those from Maine, grow- 

 ing side by side, were not distinguishable, but the Maine plants matured more 

 rapidly. 



OENOTHERA MURICATA Linn^us. 



Oenothera muricaia Linnaeus. Syst , ed. 12, 26.^, 1767. 

 Onagra muricaia Moench. Metli., 675, 1794. 



Seedling about 6 weeks old. — Rosette crowded and a little irregular, 2 to 3 cm. in diameter, 

 blades of the leaves oblong, glabrate, slightly ciliate on the margins. 



Seedling about 3 months old. — Rosettes crowded, 7 to 8 cm. in diameter; leaves 3 to 3.5 cm. 

 long, 7 to 8 mm. wide, blades oblong-spatulate, broadest above the middle, obtuse at the 

 apex, tapering into the margined petioles, blue-green, fleshy, glabrate or becoming appressed- 

 pubescent as the leaves increase in size, obscurely denticulate, the apex of the denticulations 

 mostly reddish. 



Mature rosettes about 5 months old. — Rosetts 15 to 17 cm. in 

 diameter, rootstock thick, raised 2 to 3 cm. above the ground, 

 bearing a few old leaves under the later green ones; leaves 

 crowded, the outer 9 to 14 cm. long, 1.5 to 2 cm. wide; blades 

 approximately denticulate, irregularly and more deeply so towards 

 the base above the broad, white-margined petiole, appressed- 

 pubescent or hirsute, v>ithout any trace of red in the leaves, 

 except at the apex of the denticulations. 



Adult plant. — Plant 1.5 m. high, pubescent with short appressed 

 as well as longer spreading hairs throughout. Stems erect, stout, 



1 to 1.5 m. high or more, single or generally branched above, 

 angled, turning red and the outer bark splitting into shreds at 

 maturity; stem-leaves rather crowded, loto 15cm. long, 1.5 to 



2 cm. wide; blades narrowly lanceolate or linear-oblong, acute, 

 approximately denticulate, more deeplyso atthebase, appressed- 



pubescent with short strigose hairs more or less on each surface, ^^^- 73.— Seedling of Oeno- 



,., ., ,.,, J., Ihera muricaia about 2 



light green, paler beneath; termmal rosette-like cluster or the months old. 

 inflorescence barely symmetrical; midvein broad, whitish; inflo- 

 rescence crowded; bracts lanceolate, acute at the apex, tapering to the sessile base, 

 finally two or more times as long as the mature capsule; conic portion of bud 1 1 to 12 mm. 

 long, 4 mm. in diameter, pubescent with appressed and spreading hairs, the free tips 4 mm. 

 long; hypanthium 2.5 to 3 cm. long, pubescent; calyx-segments about half as long as the 

 hypanthium; ovary i cm. long; petals thick, 10 to 12 mm. long, 11 to 14 mm. wide, deeply 

 emarginate, not opening widely; filaments about i cm. long; anthers 4 to 5 mm. long; pistil 

 shorter than stamens; stigmatic lobes erect, thickish, 3 to 4 mm. long (plate 21). 



This description is based on plants raised from seeds secured from Long 

 Island (Bicknell, 1904, and Vail, 1904) and grown two successive years in the 

 New York Botanical Garden. 



