184 
Evening Primrose. 
waste, and the halls are roofless. . . . Here, then, in one of the 
wildest parts of Denbighshire, the evening primrose unfolds 
her large and fragrant flowers. Often, too, when the nights 
are dark, and not the slightest breath of air is stirring, her 
petals emit a mild phosphoric light, and look as illuminated 
for a holiday. Every part is consequently rendered visible ; 
and he who does not fear to be out in her wild and lonely 
growing-place, may see a variety of nocturnal ephemera and 
insects hovering around the lighted petals or sipping at the 
vegetable fountains, while others rest among the branches, or 
hurry up the stems as if fearing to be too late. The phos¬ 
phorescent light thus kindled answers, without doubt, the pur¬ 
pose of a lamp, to guide the steps or flight of innumerable 
living creatures that love the night; and this is the more 
essential, because flowers of all kinds are generally closed.” 
The evening primrose is dedicated by Roman Catholics to 
St. Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal. It has not elicited so many 
poetical addresses as its sister of the day, yet has not been 
quite overlooked. Keats mused thus on 
“ A tuft of evening primroses, 
O'er which the mind may hover till it dozes; 
O’er which it well might take a pleasant sleep, 
But that’t is ever startled by the leap 
Of buds into ripe flowers.’' 
In these lines the observant poet has alluded to a singular 
floral phenomenon appertaining to this plant. The petals of 
its flower open in a remarkable way. The upper extremities 
of the calyx are furnished with little hooks, by means of which 
the blossom is held together before expansion. The divisions 
of the calyx, or cup, open gradually at the lower part, and 
show the yellow flower, which continues for some time closed 
at the upper part, by the hooks. The blossom suddenly ex¬ 
pands about half-way, and then stops ; then gradually dilates, 
until finally it completes its expansion with a violent explosion. 
Half an hour is sometimes required to complete this singular 
operation, which may be witnessed any summer evening, about 
six o’clock being the general time of the flower’s opening ; and 
soil and weather permitting, its periodic movements vary very 
slightly. It has a faint agreeable odour, which is alluded to 
in these lines: 
