CENOTHERA MISSOURIENSIS. 
LARGE-FRUITED EVENING PRIMROSE. 
NATURAL ORDER, ONAGRACE. 
CENOTHERA MISSOURIENSIS, Sims.—Simple, decumbent; leaves coriaceous, lanceolate, acute, 
short-acuminate, petiolate, sub-entire, downy, canescent when young; flowers very 
large, axillary; calyx-tube three or four times longer than the downy, canescent ovary ; 
capsule very large, oval, depressed, with four broad-winged margins. (Wood’s Class- 
Book of Botany.) 
JHE species of Evening Primrose here illustrated is well 
Mzeui} ~worthy of the beautiful picture our artist has made of 
it. Of course, much of the beauty of the representation is 
derived from the pretty red to which the stems turn as they 
mature, and which makes a good contrast with the greens and 
yellows of the other parts. It is a singular fact that it is almost 
impossible to find any plant without some trace of red about it, 
but this fact is generally overlooked by flower painters, and it is 
remarkable that it should be so disregarded, as by its use a much 
better effect can be obtained than in the usual style of flower 
painting, as well as being more just to the good taste of nature 
herself. 
The Evening Frimrose family is a very large one. Mr. 
Sereno Watson in his revision of the genus, in 1873, made sixty- 
eight species indigenous to North America; but though among 
them are many beautiful kinds there are few more striking in so 
many respects than the one we now illustrate. The size of the 
flower alone attracts. It is often much larger than the one we 
have chosen for our drawing. Some authors speak of having 
seen flowers six inches across. 
The namesake of this, the common English primrose, has a 
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