AMERICAN WILD FLOWERS 



451 



which are closely related to the cultivated Hibiscus and rose of 

 Sharon. These plants, found in swamps of our eastern and 

 southern states, produce rose-pink or white flowers which often 

 reach a diameter of seven inches. In the far West is the California 

 rose mallow, also with pink or white flowers. 



The Evening Primrose Family 



The Evening Primrose Family {Onagraceae) is characterized 

 by flowers in which the four sepals are often fused at the base to 

 form a tubular calyx beneath the corolla of four petals (fig. 274). 



Fig. 



B C D 



274. — The Evening Primrose Family includes farewell-to-spring (A), 

 California fuchsia (B), sundrops (C) and evening primrose (D) 



The EVENING PRIMROSE is a Stout plant of eastern United States 

 with terminal clusters of bright yellow flowers. In the prairie 

 region grows a white-flowered primrose, and in the far West 

 are several dozen additional species most of which have yellow 

 flowers. The desert primrose is one of the daintiest blooms of the 

 arid Southwest, producing large pure white flowers. Sundrops 

 are shrubby plants with clusters of large yellow flowers, common 

 to sunny habitats in our eastern states. Fire weed or willow- 

 herb, which ranges throughout the entire United States, is a 

 rank growing plant with conspicuous spikes of purple or lavender 

 flowers. The primrose willows, with willow-like leaves and 



