Davis: Lamarck's evening primrose 523 



presents so much variation as to have no taxonomic value. Tlie 

 leaves of these species are not strictly entire but serrulate, the 

 teeth being small and in dried material inconspicuous; the teeth 

 are, however, shown on some of the leaves on Lamarck's plant 

 (plate 37) . The glabrous fruits agree best with the seed capsules 

 of grandiflora, which are almost smooth, while those of De Vries's 

 Lamarckiana are decidedly puberulent and pilose. Mature cap- 

 sules are not shown on the specimen of Lamarck's plant, and no 

 importance can be attached to their description as short. The 

 reddish brown stem with occasional hairs agrees with grandiflora; 

 there is no mention of numerous hairs arising from red papillae, a 

 striking characteristic of the plants in the cultures of De Vries. 

 The description of the leaves as glabrous is not strictly true either 

 of grandiflora or of De Vries's Lamarckiana, both having a minute 

 pubescence, which is more evident in the latter form. Mr. Bart- 

 lett has called my attention to the word "s6tac6" in Lamarck's 

 description of the sepal tips ; this has been translated by De Vries 

 (1901, p. 317) as "dicke." The French is, however, from the late 

 Latin word "setaceus," derived from "seta," a stiff hair or bristle- 

 The meaning is, then, exactly the opposite of that given by De 

 Vries and refers to the much attenuated sepal tips, as shown in 

 PLATE 37, a striking characteristic of grandiflora; the sepal tips 

 of De Vries's Lamarckiana are in contrast much shorter and 

 thicker. 



It is surprising how little information is contained in the 

 descriptions of Lamarck and Seringe that is of value in a com- 

 parison of Lamarck's original plant with 0. grandiflora Solander 

 and "0. Lamarckiana De Vries." The most important points in 

 the writer's opinion are the description of the attenuated sepal 

 tips and the absence of all reference to the remarkable stem 

 coloration which is characteristic of the material of De Vries's 

 cultures. De Vries's Lamarckiana invariably, so far as I am aware, 

 presents a green stem punctate with red papillae from which long 

 hairs arise among a short glandular pubescence. This is not 

 noted by Lamarck, who describes the stem in agreement with 

 grandiflora as reddish brown with occasional hairs. 



We may now take up the consideration of the herbarium sheet 

 of Lamarck's' plant (plate 37) preserved in the herbarium of the 



