182 MR. MILLER CHRISTY ON 
IV. Recorded Localities for P. ELATIOR in Britain. 
As regards the distribution in Britain of the True Oxlip, 
Primula elatior of Jacquin, it may, in the first place, be ob- 
served that a plant with such an extremely wide Euro-Asian 
distribution might naturally be expected to occur (like most 
plants of equally-wide Continental distribution) almost all over 
Britain. The expectation, however, is not, in this case, realized; 
for the distribution of the plant is, with us, greatly restricted, 
and in a remarkable manner for which it is not very easy to 
account. Before proceeding to define the area occupied by the 
plant in Britain, it is necessary to observe that the information 
given on this point in our English Floras is quite misleading. 
In ‘ English Botany’ it is stated * that the Oxlip occurs, “In 
woods and meadows on clay soil; local; plentiful in some parts 
of Essex, Suffolk, and Cambridge.” 
Babington sayst, * Clayey woods and meadows in the Eastern 
Counties.” 
Bentham sayst, “ In some of the Eastern Counties of England.” 
Hooker says$, “Copses and meadows in Bedford, Suffolk, 
Cambridge, and Essex.” 
Hayward gives ||, “ Copses; East of England.” 
Turning next to the Floras of those English counties in which 
the plant occurs, we find similarly misleading information given 
therein. 
Gibson says | of its distribution in Essex: * Woods and 
meadows; common in some parts of Essex." 
Hind says ** of Suffolk: “In woods; rarely in meadows.” 
Babington says tt of Cambridgeshire : ** Woods on clay.” 
The oecurrence of the Oxlip in many other counties is Te- 
corded in the Floras of those counties or in other Local Lists of 
Plants; but, as it is, I believe, certain that in all cases the Common 
Hybrid Oxlip has been mistaken for the “ True” species, the 
information as to distribution given therein may be disregarded. 
The foregoing statements as to the distribution of the plant 
* Ed. III. vol. vii, (1867), p. 135. 
+ Man. of Brit. Bot. 8th ed. (1881), p. 290. 
t Handb. Brit. Flora, 5th ed. (1887), p. 290. 
$ 'Student's Flora, 3rd ed. (1884), p. 261. 
|| ' Botanist's Pocket-book ' (1889), p. 114. 
| ‘Flora of Essex ' (1862), p. 248. 
** «Flora of Suffolk’ (1889), p. 282. 
tt ‘Flora of Cambridgeshire’ (1860), p. 188. 
