EVERLASTING FLOWERS 205 



times not more than half an inch wide and a foot 

 or more in length; sometimes smooth and some- 

 times villous; dark green or light green. (2) 

 Short and stubby leaves, trifoliolate, either vil- 

 lous or glaucous. (3) Leaves resembling those of 

 the oriental poppy. (4) Leaves like those of the 

 opium poppy. (5) Nondescript leaves, vari- 

 ously suggestive of the leaves of primrose, cherry, 

 dock, wormwood, dandelion, and scores of others. 



It is interesting to note that the blossoms of 

 the second generation varied somewhat less than 

 the leaves, although much more diversified than 

 the blossoms of the first generation. Some were 

 double and of various shades of the opium 

 poppy. The range of color included almost 

 black, deep crimson, purple, light crimson, sal- 

 mon shades, pink, white, and various combina- 

 tions of these colors. Yet on the whole color 

 variation was not greater than that ordinarily 

 found in the opium poppy. 



The second-generation plants seemed not to 

 have the vitality sho^vn by those of the first 

 generation. There were exceptions to this, how- 

 ever, individual plants manifesting a vitality in 

 excess of the average of the first-generation 

 plants. 



Most of the second-generation hybrids that 

 produced double blossoms proved to be annuals 



