66 MUTATIONS, VARIATIONS, AND RELATIONSHIPS OF THE OENOTHERAS. 



The use here of the name Oenothera for species belonging to the genus 

 Onagra (Tournefort, Adanson, Spach) is according to the decision of Dr. J. N. 

 Rose in a recent paper (1905), where he points out, and with good reason, that 

 Oenothera biennis should be considered as the type of the genus. The descrip- 

 tions in each case have been made from living plants. 



OENOTHERA GRAXDIFLORA AiTox 



Oenothera grandiflora .\\t. Hort. Kew., 2: 2, 1789. 



Onosiiris acwninila Raf. Fl. Ind., 93, 1817 (?). 



Oenolliera grandiflora fi Sims. Curtis's Hot. Mag. 46: pi. 2068, 1819. 



Oenothera biennis var. gratuiiflora Lindl. Bot. Regist. 19: pi. 1604, 1833 (?). 



Onagra grandiflora (Ait.) Vail. Torreya, 5: 9, 1905. 



Onagra vulgaris Spach. Nouv. ann. mus. Paris, 4: 3i5i, 1835. (Reprint i5, 1835.) 



In part. 



Seedling about 2 months old. — Rosette loose, spreading, 7 to 12 cm. in diameter; outer 

 leaves 4 to 7 cm. long, 2 to 3 cm. wide; blades oblong, or oblong-spatulate, nearly glabrous, 

 irregularly blotched with dull red, broader above the middle, rounding or acutish and 

 shallowly undulate toothed at the apex, tapering at the more deeply toothed base into the 

 margined petiole ; the inner blades oblong, acutish, and soon becoming more deeply toothed 

 at the base (plate 11, a). 



Seedling about 5 months old. — Rosette rather loose, spreading flat on the ground, about 

 30 cm. in diameter; outer leaves 12 to 15 cm. long, 3 to 4 cm. wide; blades oblong-spatulate, 

 broadest above the middle, acutish at the apex, tapering at the irregularly pinnatifid- 

 toothed base into a long, broad petiole, obscurely puberulent near the outer margin above 

 and beneath on the white midvein and veins, bright dark blue-green, irregularly blotched 

 throughout with red, which color also appears sometimes on the wide white midvein 

 (plate II, b). 



Adult plant. — Plant 1.5 to 3 m. in height, branching from the base upward, the terminal 

 portion of the main stem bearing a cluster of short branches with a profusion of flowers. 

 vStems stout, often reaching a diameter of 6 cm. at base, nearly terete below, slightly angled 

 and channeled above, or silicate, the epidermal tissues becoming detached on the lower 

 part of the main stem, which is hard and woody, clothed in the upper portion with short, 

 spreading, somewhat varyingly muricate pubescence; leaves 10 to 20 cm. long; blades ovate- 

 lanceolate, glabrate, with appressed scattered hairs on the veins, denticulate, being more 

 deeply and irregularly toothed in the basal portion, tapering to a short margined petiole, 

 bright green and shining above, paler beneath; terminal rosette-like cluster of the inflores- 

 cence symmetrical; flowers very abundant and fragrant; bracts lanceolate, 3 to 5 cm. long, 

 acuminate, abruptly tapering into a short petiole, or sessile ; conic portion of bud 3 to 4 cm . long, 

 6 to 7 mm. in diameter at base, very slender, tapering from base to apex, sparingly pubes- 

 cent, thin, dotted with small red spots, the erect free tips very slender, setaceous, 8 to 10 mm. 

 long; hypanthium 4.5 to 5.5 cm. long, very slender, much longer than the reflexed calyx- 

 lobes that usually cohere in pairs at the tips; ovary i cm. long, or less, slender, petals firm, 

 3.5 to 4 cm. long, and about 4 cm. wide, more or less emarginate, wedge-shaped at base; 

 filaments 2.5 cm long, very .slender; anthers slender, i cm. long; pistil much longer than 

 stamens, and projecting from the flower and from the unoi)ened buds late in the season; 

 stigmatic lobes 10 to 12 mm. long; capsule 3 to 3.5 cm. long, 8 mm. in diameter in thickest 

 portion, green and shining, glabrous or with a few scattered hairs, four-angled and tapering 

 from base (plate 12). 



Alabama. — Earle's Landing and Dixie Landing near Tensaw, Tracy, No. 8001 in the 

 herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden. 



