group, died after flowering. Abundant good seed was, 
however, produced, and from this a further stock of 
plants has been raised. P. chionantha thrives best in 
a shady situation in moist rich soil. The species is 
compared by Professor Balfour with the Oriental and 
North Asian P. nivalis, Pallas. It differs from P. nivalis 
mainly in its nearly entire leaves, its constantly verti- 
cillate inflorescence, and its shorter calyx. It is also 
taller and more robust in habit. 
Description.—Herb, stout and mealy, 14-28in. high. Leaves obovate- 
oblanceolate or oblong-elliptic, blunt, narrowed at the base into a veined winged 
petiole, up to 10 in. long and 2 in. wide, rather stout, finely repand-denticulate, 
without hairs, but sulphur-mealy on the under surface ; lateral nerves ascending, 
about ten on each side of the mid-rib, when dry raised beneath ; petiole up to 1} in. 
long, at length rather membranous. Scape stout, more or less sulphur-mealy, 
bearing an apical many-flowered umbel with 2-3 many-flowered verticels lower 
down. Flowers white; pedicels of unequal length, the longest 1} in. long, 
spreading or nearly erect, densely sulphur-mealy towards the top; bracts 
triangular-linear, somewhat acute, about } in. long, sparingly mealy outside, 
more densely so within. Calyx cylindric-campanulate, sparingly mealy outside ; 
tube fin. long; lobes 5, lanceolate, rather blunt, }—-1in. long, about J, in. 
wide at the base, densely mealy within. Corolla glabrous ;_ tube } in. jong, 
enlarged above the staminal insertion; limb 1} in. wide, the lobes elliptic or 
ovate, about 2in. long. Anthers in the short-styled flowers attached above the 
middle of the tube, zis in. long. Style short, less than one-third the length of 
the corolla-tube, crowned by the large capitate stigma. Capsule cylindric, 
3 in. long, opening by 5 apical valves, surrounded below by the accrescent 
calyx. Seeds very small; testa spongy. 
TAB. 8816.—Fig. 1, calyx and pistil; 2, corolla in vertical section, showing 
stamens ; 3, pistil; 4, capsule :—all enlarged, except 4, which is of natural size. 
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