118 
Spring Flora of Oklahoma 
Leaves membranous; capsules beaked, glabrate. 
1. L. triloba. 
Leaves leathery; capsules hardly beaked, pubescent. 
2. L. brachycarpa. 
1. Lavauxia triloba (Nutt.) Spach. Three-lobed Primrose. 
Perennial, nearly glabrous throughout. Leaves basal. Blades ob¬ 
long-lanceolate in outline, 3'-12' long, runcinate-pinnatifid or sin¬ 
uate, sometimes ciliate. Cdrolla white or pink, l'-2broad. Petals 
often 3-lobed. Capsules ovoid, 4-wing-angled, reticulate-veined. 
In dry soil. May-July. 
2. Lavauxia brachycarpa (A. Gray) Britton. Short-podded 
Primrose. Low, perennial, acaulescent, softly canescent. Leaves 
basal, leathery, ovate or nearly oblong, 3'-9' long, lyrate-pinnatifid, 
or sometimes nearly entire. Flowers yellow, basal. Calyx canescent, 
its tube 2'-4' long, gradually dilated upward. Petals l'-llong. 
Capsules elliptic, 8"-9" long, leathery or corky, the angles very thin. 
Prairies. April-July. Oklahoma and Murray counties. 
V. MEGAPTERIUM Spach. 
Low, perennial herbs with stout, spreading stems. 
Leaves numerous, alternate, narrow, entire or slightly 
toothed. Flowers perfect, few, but large and showy, axil¬ 
lary, yellow. Calyx-tube much elongated, dilated towards 
the throat. Petals 4, spreading. Stamens 8. Ovary 4- 
celled, 4-angled or 4-winged. Stigma 4-cleft. Ovules few, 
sessile in rows. Capsule broadly 4-winged. Seeds few, 
crested. 
1. Megapterium missouriensis (Sims) Spach. Missouri Prim¬ 
rose. Stems decumbent or ascending, glabrous, 6'-12' long, leaves 
thick, linear-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, narrowed at the base 
into a slender petiole, entire or remotely denticulate. Flowers 3'-6' 
broad. The calyx tube 2'-6' long. Capsule short-stalked, nearly 
orbicular, very broadly winged, glabrate in our species. 
Dry soil. May-July. Frequent. 
2. Megapterium missouriensis. Var incana Gray, with stems and 
leaves densely silvery canescent. Specimens collected on the lime¬ 
stone hills N. E. of Medicine Park and east of Apache. We believe 
these to be the largest and showiest of Oklahoma’s spring flowers. 
VI. GALPINSIA Britton. 
Perennial herbs or shrubby plants, with branched stems. 
