56 



of fresh clover to a city car horse. That good-fellowship which 

 was promoted by the botanical "clubs" of Mr. Canby's genera- 

 tion is now of historical interest, and the new regime has not 

 yet supplied anything that can be compared with it. The death 

 of Mr. Canby reminds us of how few of his former associates still 

 remain with us. 



NOTES ON EVENING PRIMROSES 



By Kenneth K. Mackenzie 



One of the most noticeable and common plants along the line 

 of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad on both sides of the boundary 

 line between Virginia and West Virginia is an evening primrose 

 with unusually large yellow flowers. Growing on open sunny 

 clay banks and along the rivers in loose, rocky soil, it forms one 

 of the characteristic plants of the country, and almost entirely 

 replaces the common Ocnot/wra biennis L. It may be described 

 as follows : 



Oenothera argillicola sp. nov. Biennial, with numerous stems 

 ascending from the same root, 5-15 dm. high. Stems puberu- 

 lent, but otherwise without pubescence : leaves of the stemless 

 plant of the first year rosulate, 6-15 cm. long, the blades oblan- 

 ceolate, i 5 mm. or less wide, sinuate, acute, puberulent on both 

 sides, the mid-nerve strongly developed, tapering at the base 

 to a long, rather narrowly winged petiole ; cauline leaves of the 

 flowering plants of the second year with narrowly linear-lanceo- 

 late blades, the well-developed ones 6-(S cm. long, 7 mm. or less 

 wide, remotely sinuate-dentate, acute, glabrous or slightly puber- 

 ulent, tapering to a pctiolc-likc base and often strongly decurrent 

 on the stem, forming well-developed ridges : calyx-tube 3-4 cm. 

 long and longer than the sepals, perfectly glabrous, as also are 

 the sepals, the tips of the latter free, spreading, often 3-4 mm. 

 long : petals bright yellow, obcordate, crenulate, 3-4 cm. long, 

 so that the open flower is often 6-8 cm. across : capsules per- 

 fectly glabrous, 2-3 cm. long, sessile, gradually tapering upward 

 from the broad base and often strongly curved, somewhat quad- 

 rangular, strongly ribbed: seeds angled, i-i.5 mm. long. 



This plant with its ascending, non-hirsute stems, narrow leaves, 

 large flowers, glabrous calyx and glabrous, long-tapering cap- 

 sule is one of the most distinct species of this section of the 

 genus, and is well worthy of cultivation. 



Type collected by myself near WMiitc Suli^hur Springs, West 



