NAT. ORDER. ONAGRARIiE. 71 
and therefore improperly named ; the flowers which are large and 
showy, though they open in the evening, remain expanded during 
most of the ensuing day ; the flower-bud, germ, and stalk, contri- 
butes to render this species one of the most ornamental and desirable. 
It is a native of Virginia. 
Oenothera pumila. Dwarf Tree-Primrose. This has also a 
perennial fibrous root ; the lower leaves ovate, small, close to the 
ground ; the stalk slender, near a foot high ; the leaves smaller, of 
a light green, sessile, ending in blunt points ; the flowers small and 
of a bright yellow ; it sends up many flowering stems, producing 
blossoms from April to July, opening in the morning as well as the 
evening. It is a native of North America. 
Propagation and Culture. These plants are all capable of being 
raised from seeds, and some of them by parting the roots and cuttings. 
The seed should be sown either in the autumn or early in the spring 
in the first and third sorts, upon a bed or border in the open ground, 
thinning and watering the plants properly, and keeping them free 
from weeds till the following autumn, when they may be removed 
with balls of earth about their roots to the places where they are to 
remain. Some may be set out at the time of thinning in nursery- 
rows, six inches apart. They also rise without trouble from the 
scattering of the seeds. 
In the second sort, the seed should be put into the ground in the 
open borders or other parts, in the last part of March, where the 
plants are to remain. One plant is sufficient in a place, which 
should have a stick set to support its branches when they have 
advanced a little. 
Medical Properties and Uses. These plants are mostly esteemed 
for their farinaceous and mucilaginous qualities. The roots are 
eatable, and are likewise used as emolients. 
