(Enothera sheaths in many a fold, 

 Of primrose scent and hue her fainter gold, 

 Nor yet unbinds the firmly clasping zone, 

 Till eve's mild lustre mingles with her own. 



The primrose, tenant of the glade, 

 Emblem of virtue in the shade. 



Jno. Mayne. 



Evans. 



A tuft of Evening primroses, 

 O'er which the wind may hover till it dozesj 

 O'er which it well might take a pleasant sleep, 

 But, that 'tis ever startled by the leap 

 Of buds into ripe flowers. Keats. 



(Enothera Odorata, Sweet-scented, or Curl-leafed Even- 

 ing Primrose, was introduced into England by Sir J. Banks, 

 from the coast of Patagonia, and seems to be likely to super- 

 sede the other species. It is a tolerably hardy perennial 

 plant the stem of which does not die completely down; 

 beautiful with its waved foliage, yellow blossoms, and desira- 

 ble for its perfume. Its flowers expand, also, only in the 

 evening. 



Than vainer flowers tho' sweeter far, 



The Evening Primrose shuns the day 5 

 Blossoms only to the western star, 



And loves its solitary ray. 



Dr. Langfwrne. 



And one, who mark'd with depth of thought, 

 How the bright day-flowers droop away, 



An Evening primrose only bought, 

 Which opens at the close of day. 



Judgment of Flowers. 



(Enothera pumila, Dwarf CEnothera, is another North 

 American species: the smallest of the genus with small yel- 

 low sessile, spiked flowers, which remain expanded in the 

 day as well as evening. Perennial root; stems scarcely a 

 foot high, smooth, reddish; leaves sessile, light green, tinged 

 with red at their points, rather blunt. 



There are also varieties of purple, pink, etc. 



PRIMROSE, PURPLE. 

 Primula. 



Primula, from primus, first, a name given to this genus 

 from their early bloom, being the first offering of Spring. 



The Cowslip, Polyanthus, Primrose, Auricula, etc., are 

 all of this family. 



The primrose was anciently called Paralisos, the name 

 of a beautiful youth, son of Priapus and Flora, who died of 

 grief for the loss of his betrothed Melicerta, and by his pa- 

 rents was metamorphosed into this flower, which has since 

 divided the favour of the poets, with the Violet and the Rose. 



Beneath the sylvan canopy, the ground 



Glitters with flowery dyes; the primrose first 



In mossy dell, return of Spring to greet. Gisborne. 



The primrose pale, is Nature's meek and modest child. 



Balfour. 



The general character of the flowers of the genus pri- 

 mula, is a calyx of one leaf, tubular, with five angles, and 

 five acute upright teeth, permanent; corolla monopetalous, 

 tube cylindrical; limb spreading, cut halfway down into five 

 heart-shaped segments. 



PRIVET. 



Ligustrum. 



Ligustrum, a name found in Pliny, and other Latin wri- 

 ters, by which the Oriental Cypros [Lawsonia inermis] 

 seems originally to have been intended, but which is, now, 

 universally received for our Privet. 



The species generally cultivated is the common Privet, 

 L. vulgaris. A shrub of five or six feet high; white Jlow- 

 ers; perianth inferior, of one leaf, tubular, very small; co- 

 rolla monopetalous, funnel-shaped, four-cleft; berries dark 

 purple, very bitter, like the foliage and bark: almost ever- 

 green. It was formerly known by the name of print, or 

 prim-print, probably from its neat and regular appearance, 

 when clipped and trimmed. 



QUAMOCLIT. 

 Ipomxa. 



Ipomxa, a name given by Linnxus, which he derived 

 from the Greek 14/5 and o^on;, like: by which appellation he 

 evidently intended to express the close resemblance of the 

 present plant to Convolvulus. It has been remarked, that 

 Linnaeus mistook the meaning of the first Greek word, ly 

 which signifies a creeping sort of worm that infests and cor- 

 rodes vines, and not the Convolvulus plant. 



Quamoclit, an Indian name, retained by Plumier, and 

 Tournefort as generic but, by Linnaeus used only as the spe- 

 cific appellation of a beautiful species of Ipomaea, popularly 

 denominated busy-body. It is an East Indian vine, remark- 

 able for its finely pectinated leaves and rich crimson blossoms. 

 This winged-leaf Ipoma;a has a calyx deeply five-cleft, 

 naked. Corolla monopetalous, funnel, or bell-shaped; limb 

 five-cleft, spreading, with five plaits; capsule of two or three 

 cells; seeds two in each cell. 



There are two other varieties, with white and orange 

 coloured flowers. 



QUEEN'S ROCKET. 



Hesperis. 

 (See also Rocket.) 



Hesperis, the Esperos, or Evening flower of Pliny. 

 The ancients named this family of plants from Hesper, or 

 Vesper, Latin, or ET^OS, Greek, signifying Evening be- 

 cause they do not discharge their perfume until the evening, 

 reserving their fragrance for vesper hours. 



The Rocket was deemed sacred to Priapus, the god who 

 presided over gardens and orchards. One of its reputed pro- 

 perties is, to raise the passions and to excite love. 



The Hesperis Matronalis, Queen's Gilly-flower, or 

 Purple Dame's Violet, has pale purple flowers, very abundant, 

 exhaling, only in the evening, a very sweet perfume like that 



