



Chap. II. 



THE BABDFIELD OXLIP. 



73 





oxlip is a hybrid between the primrose and cowslip, it 

 .is not surprising that eight long-styled flowers of the 

 primrose, fertilised by pollen from the long-styled 

 common oxlip, produced eight capsules (Table 18), 

 containing, however, only a low average of seeds; 

 whilst the same number of flowers of the primrose, 

 similarly fertilised by the long-styled Bardfield oxlip, 

 produced only a single capsule; this latter plant 

 being an altogether distinct species from the primrose. 

 Plants of P. elatior have been propagated by seed in 

 a garden for twenty-five years, and have kept all this 

 time quite constant, excepting that in some cases the 

 flowers varied a little in size and tint.* Nevertheless, 

 according to Mr. H. C. Watson and Dr. Bromfield,f 

 plants may be occasionally found in a state of nature, 

 in which most of the characters by which this species 

 can be distinguished from P. verts and vulgaris fail; 

 but such intermediate forms are probably due to hybridi- 

 sation; for Kerner states in the paper before referred 

 to, that hybrids sometimes, though rarely, arise in the 

 Alps between P. elatior and verts. 



Finally, although we may freely admit that Primula 

 veris, vulgaris, and elatior, as well as all the other 

 species of the genus, are descended from a common 

 primordial form, yet from the facts above given, we 

 must conclude that these three forms are now as fixed 

 in character as are many others which are universally 

 ranked as true species. Consequently they have as 

 good a right to receive distinct specific names as have, 

 for instance, the ass, quagga, and zebra. 



Mr. Scott has arrived at some interesting results by 



* See Mr. H. Doubleday in the 4 Gardener's Chronicle,' 1867, p. 435 ; 

 also Mr. W. Marshall, ibid., p. 462. 



f 'Phytologist,' vol. i. p. 1001, and vol. iii. p. 695. 



4 <. 



