148 



Descriptive Flora 



rosette of leaves. March and April. Wrongly called ' ■ Butter- 

 cups 9 \ Widespread, adding beauty to every vacant lot, roadside 

 and pasture. Named for de Lavaux, a French botanist, 



Megapterium missouriense (Sims) Spach. 



Yellow Evening Primrose. 

 This primrose of the limestone hills is even larger and more 

 conspicuous than the preceding ones, both in flower and in the 

 large, broad, leathery, winged capsules that turn reddish-purple 

 with age. Leaves simple, alternate. Leaf -blades thick, narrow, 

 2 to 6 inches long, usually entire, and like the stalks usually 

 stained with red or purple. Flowers large, yellow, 3 to 5 inches 

 across. Petals 4, flaring out of a long, narrow, yellow tube, 3 to 

 6 inches long, Stamens 8. Stigma 4-lobed, tipping the long, 

 threadlike style. March to June. Blossoms open in the evening, 

 close the following day, and after hanging withered for a day or 

 two, drop off. 



Meriolix serrulata (Nutt.) Walp. 



Yellow Evening-primrose. "Buttercups". 

 Plants 1 to 2 feet tall similar to the above evening primroses 

 but having flowers only about 1 inch across, a disk-like stigma, 

 narrow, oblong capsules less than 1 inch long, and erect, pale, 

 shiny, brittle, woody, usually much branched stems. Leaves 

 simple, alternate. Blades linear to spatulate, usually sparingly 

 toothed above the middle, 1 to 2 inches long. Petals 4, yellow, 

 (% to y% long), united at their bases. Stamens 8, of two 

 lengths. April to July. Open in the bright sun. Dry, rocky 

 hillsides and deep ravines. The disk-like stigma of these plants 

 is often black. 



Meriolix spinulosa (Torr. & Gray) Heller. 



Similar to Meriolix serrulata but having larger flowers (l 1 /^ 

 to 1% inches across), and longer capsules to 1*4 inches). 

 Leaves similarly toothed and narrow. April to July. Dry rocky 

 hillsides. I am unable to find any permanent characteristics 



