158 CENOTHERA MISSOURIENSIS. LARGE-FRUITED PRIMROSE. 



famous place in English literature. English poetry is full of 

 allusions to it. Shakespeare refers to the flower in many of his 

 plays ; and in Cymbeline, especially, which is so full of floral 

 references, Aviragus is made to say, after bearing the dead 

 Imogen in his arms : 



" With fairest flowers, 

 Whilst summer lasts, and I live here, Fidele, 

 I'll sweeten thy sad grave : Thou shalt not lack 

 The flower that's like thy face, pale primrose." 



Though we have some species of Primula native to our 

 Alpine regions — that is to say, primroses of a certain kind — we 

 have nothing that will fairly carry with it any suggestiveness 

 to the primrose of poetry, Primulas though they be. Some of 

 the Qinothcras have a faint resemblance in form and color to the 

 true Primrose, and from this fact we have the popular name 

 Evening Primrose — "evening" because they rarely open when 

 the sun shines. This habit of evenino- or nicrht flowerina- has 

 attracted much attention to the plant, and it has received a 

 great share of attention from the poets, as well as the original 

 " pale-flower " from which it derived its name. Bernard Barton, 

 a well-known English poet, in his " Invitation to Flowers," 

 addresses ours especially in view of its late opening; 



" You, evening primroses, when day has fled, 

 Open your pallid flowers, by dews and moonlight fed." 



The same author has a poem wholly devoted to the " Evening 

 Primrose," too long for our pages, but full of happy imagery, in 

 which hope and trust under affliction are the prevailing senti- 

 ments. He concludes the poem by observing: 



'< But still more animating far, 



We hope that, as thy beauteous bloom 

 Expands to glad the close of day, 



So through the shadows of the tomb, 

 May break forth mercy's ray." 



There is one passage in this poem, however, which deserves 

 more than a passing note, on account of an observation by one 



