EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY. 183 



L. polyc^rpa, Short & Peter. Smooth leaves, narrowly lanceolate 

 and acute at both ends, with conspicuous slender bractlets at the base of 

 the 4-sided rather top-shaped pod, which is longer than the calyx lobes. 

 Mass. W. 



L. capitata. Michx. Slender, simple stems, angled towards the top ; 

 long lanceolate leaves ; flowers mostly crowded in an oblong or roundish 

 terminal head, and obtusely 4-angled pod longer than the calyx lobes. 

 N. Car. S. 



L. aUta, Ell. With simple or sparingly branched stems strongly 

 angled above ; few flowers in the axils of the upper wedge-lanceolate 

 leaves, and an inversely pyramidal pod as long as the white calyx lobes, 

 with concave sides and winged angles. N. Car. S. 



§ 2. Leaves opposite, ohovate, or spatulate, long-petioled, with small and 

 nearly sessile flowers in their axils ; stems creeping or floating. 



« 



L. paldstris, Ell. Common in ditches and shallow water ; smooth, 

 with no petals, or small and reddish ones when the plant grows out of 

 water, and oblong, obscurely 4-sided pods longer than the very short 

 calyx lobes. 



L. nutans, Ell. Larger than the foregoing, and with yellow petals as 

 long as the calyx lobes ; the pods tapering to the base. N. Car. S. 



§ 3. Leaves opposite, nearly sessile, luith a long-peduncled flower in the 

 axil (^ some of the upper ones; stems creeping in the mud. 



L. arcusLta, Walt. From coast of Va. S. ; a small and smooth, deli- 

 cate plant, with oblanceolate leaves shorter than the peduncle ; yellow 

 petals, longer than the slender calyx lobes, and club-shaped somewhat 

 curved pod. 



5. CLARKIA. (^a.med ioT Captain Clark, the explorer.) Herbs of 

 Ore. and Cal., with alternate, mostly entire leaves, and showy flowers 

 in the upper axils, or the upper running into a loose raceme ; cult, for 

 ornament ; flowers summer, ® 



C. pulch6lla, Pursh. About 1° high, with narrow, lance-linear leaves, 

 deeply 3-lobed petals (purple, with rose-colored and white varieties), 

 bearing a pair of minute teeth low down on the slender claw, the lobes 

 of the stigma broad and petal-like. There is a partly double-flowered 

 variety. 



C. elegans, Dougl. Fully 2° high, commonly flowered in the conser- 

 vatory, with long branches ; lance-ovate or oblong leaves, the lower 

 petioled, lilac-purple entire petals broader than long, and much shorter 

 than their naked claw, smaller lobes to the stigma, and a hairy ovary and 

 pod. 



6. BUCHARIDIUM. (Name from the Greek, means cftarmingr.) (i) 



E. concinnum, Fisch & Mey. Of Cal., cult, for ornament; a low and 

 branching plant, like a Clarkia in general appearance, except in the long 

 tube to the calyx and with ovate-oblong entire leaves on slender petioles, 

 and middle-sized rose-purple or white flowers, in summer. 



7. OJNOTHERA, EVENING PRIMROSE. (Greek, application ob- 

 scure.) \'ery many species, all originally American, and most of 

 them from the U. S., especially from S. W. and W, The following are 

 the principal common ones, both wild and cult, for ornament ; flowers 

 summer. (Pollen grains loosely connected by cobwebby threads., 

 strongly 3-lobed. See Lessons, p. 103, Fig. 316.) 



