Aroix'iAix I'l.ow i:In 



ot three tcct, and has alternate lanec-shaped leaves and erec t 

 buds. No sooner has the sun set than the buds l)e<;in to 

 expand, the closely closed calyx suddenly burst in;^^ oi)en with 

 a loud [)()p, and then one l)y one the i)etals slowly unfold, until 

 the whole su]i)hur-coloured Hower is wide-blown and sends 

 forth its sweet fra^i^rance to scent the e\enin<;- air. 



'■A tuft of evening primroses 

 O'er which the mind might hover till it dozes, 

 But that it's ever startled by the leap 

 Of buds into ripe flowers.'" 



A sini;le summer night suffices to consimie the vitality and 

 beauty of this flower, which at evenini;- is fresh and fair and 

 newly blown, and by noon looks faded and most dejected. It 

 is strange how very fragrant and lovel\' are many of these 

 *' flowers that blow when the heat of the dav is o'er." sue h, 

 for instance, as the Night-blooming Jessamine, tlu- Night- 

 blooming Cereus, and the Night-blooming Cactus. The \ellow 

 petals of the Evening Primrose shine so ItiminousK- in the 

 dusk that they easily attract the crepuscular moths, which 

 fertilize the plants b}- carr\ing the abundant stick\- {)ollen 

 from one flower to another. The number four is conspicu- 

 ous in this flower, which has four j)etals, a four-parted caly.x, 

 eight stamens, a four-celled o\ar\-, and a four-cleft stigma. 

 When the corolla fades, after its single night of revelr\. it 

 soon shrivels and drops off, and then the oblong capsule 

 containing the seeds quickly matures. 



MEADOW PARSNIP 



Thaspiii))! coniatu}/!. I'arskv Family 



Stems: erect, branched. Leaves: ui)pcr stcm-kavis C()mi)()und. short- 

 petioled, ternate. the segments ovate, crenatc-dentate : hasal leaves long- 

 petioled, sometimes undivided. Flowers: in umbels, eightto-twelve rayed. 

 Fruit: globose-ovoid. 



