(Plate XLIII)

Family

Primrose.

Colour

Lilac, or pink terminating in yellow.

Odour

Spicy, like cinnamon.

Range

The Rocky mountains.

Time of Bloom

April, May.

Flowers: two to twenty growing in a terminal umbel, and on pedicels that curve within the flower. Calyx: reflected; five-parted. Corolla: of five rather linear divisions; strongly reflexed. Stamens: commonly five, the linear anthers forming a cone. Pistil: one, protruding. Leaves: from the root; obovate to lanceolate. Scape: three to fifteen inches high; erect.

Those that write concerning the primroses must acknowledge that this one is the most pert, the most saucy looking, and the most attractive of them all. Its common name of shooting-star appears well adapted to it; and although it is not a widely-known plant, it is one that once seen seldom passes out of the remembrance. There are several species of Dodecatheon, which vary greatly. The one growing in the Central States is known as Pride of Ohio.