354 
THE OENOTH ERA TENELLA TENUIF'oI.IA. 
degeneracy sooner than the CE. bifrons; while the GE. sinuata, and 
tetraptera may be considered exceptions, for they appear to flower 
better if grown in a light middling rich mould. The CE. viminea 
comes into flower about the end of April, if planted on dry situa¬ 
tions, but its time of flowering is then shorter than when planted in 
a damper place. All the purple-flowering annual species as CE. de- 
cumbens, quadrivulnera, purpurea, viminea, Romanzovii, Lindley- 
ana, tenuifolia, &c. when cultivated in a patch, in a large garden pot 
filled with poor soil, will flower in much greater perfection than in 
the open border, yet their flowering season is of much shorter dura¬ 
tion. They are perfectly simple in their culture, merely requiring 
to be sown in the border, or in the pot where they are intended to 
flower. In every other respect the treatment is like other hardy 
annuals. 
Biennial Species .—Those of biennial duration are all hardy, with 
the exception of CE. nocturna, and villosa, which were introduced 
from the Cape of Good Hope, and consequently require the shelter 
of the greenhouse. The roots of CE. biennis are eaten in Germany, 
and in some parts of France. They have a nutty flavour, but are 
very inferior to the rampion. They are both stewed, and eaten raw 
in salads, with mustard, oil, salt, and pepper, like celery. Lippold 
says they have been long used as a culinary vegetable, under the 
name of German Rampion. It was from this species that the genus 
took the name of Evening Primrose, because its flowers seldom ex¬ 
pand till towards six or seven o’clock in the evening. A few other 
species evince the same disposition, but the generality of them inclu¬ 
ding annuals, biennials, and perennials, are open all day, making, at the 
time of flowering, a beautiful show in the borders. The mode in 
which the flowers open is highly curious. The segments of the ca¬ 
lyx first begin to separate at the bottom, and to expose the inclosed 
corolla, while at the top it is held tightly together by the hooks at 
the end of the calyx. In about a quarter of an hour, the flower ob¬ 
tains sufficient strength to unhook the calyx at the top, which being 
accomplished, the expansion proceeds rapidly for about five minutes, 
when it again slackens, as though to recruit its strength, previously to 
spreading out quite flat. 
Perennial Species .—All these are hardy, except CE. rosea, acau- 
lis caespitosa and anisoloba, which require slightly sheltering. The 
first of these should be grown in peat and loam, in a pot, which, du¬ 
ring winter, should be sheltered in a frame, though itvnay be turned 
out in the borders after the frosts are over. The CE. acaulis is a 
native of Chile, where it is very common in waste places, and ac- 
