Gaura
(from gauros, superb; in reference to the elegance of the flowers of some of the species). ORD. Onagrarieae. A genus comprising about twenty species of hardy annual or perennial herbs, rarely shrubs, natives of the warmer parts of North America. Flowers in terminal, spiral racemes. Leaves alternate, simple. But few of the species are now to be found in cultivation. A light soil suits Gauras best, and they can only be propagated by seed, which should be sown early in spring, in the open ground. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, they should be transferred to their flowering quarters, and a slight covering afforded them during severe weather. G. biennis (biennial). fl. irregular; petals at first white, then reddish, obovate, ascending, spreading, naked; sepals purple at the apex. August to October. l. lanceolate-oblong, acute, denticulated. h. 4ft. to 6ft. 1762. (B. M. 389.) G. Lindheimeri (Lindheimer's).* fl. rose-white, produced in numerous elegant spikes throughout the summer. h. 4ft. Texas, 1850. Perennial. An elegant slender branching species for masses or mixed borders. (L. & P. F. G. 3, 127.) G. parviflora (small-flowered). fl. yellow, minute, crowded; spikes elongated. August. l. oblong, acuminated, remotely denticulated, and ciliated on the margins, rather velvety when young. h. 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. 1835. Annual. (B. M. 3506.)