Tas. 8535. 
PRIMULA Pourpomi. 
West Kansu. 
PrimvLAcEAE. Tribe PRIMULEAE. 
Primcta, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. ii. p. 631. 
Primula Purdomii, Veitch ex Gard. Mag. vol. lvi. p. 201 (icon. sine descr.) ; 
Gard. Chron. 1918, vol. liii. p. 192 (anglice); ibid. 1913, vol. liii. p. 200 
oot) species P. nivali, Pall., peraffinis. sed corollae lobis magis rotun- 
atis apice integris, stigmate grandi recedit. 
Herba subacaulis. /vlia oblanceolata, lanceolata vel oblongo-oblanceolata, basi 
in petiolum alatum attenuata vel interdum petiolo vix alato ad fere 3 cm. 
longo snffulta, apice obtusa vel acutiuscula, ad 11 em. longa et 2°2 em. 
lata. albo-furinosa, nervis vix conspicuis, margine revoluto subintegra vel . 
denticulata. Scapus 12 cm. longus, superne praecipue summo apice 
farinosus, umbellam circiter 8-floram gerens; bracteae involucrales vix 
lem. longae; pedicelli plerumque decurvi, ad 6 mm. longi, albo-farinosi. 
Calyx 1 cm. longus; lobi oblongo-lanceolati, acutiusculi, tubo subaequi- 
longi, 2-2°5 mm. lati. Corol/ae tubus calycem 3 mm. superans, 4°5 mm. 
diametro; limbus patens, 2°3 cm. diametro, lobis ellipticis vel obovato- 
ellipticis apice rotundatis 8 mm. latis supra pilis paucis brevibus glan- 
duloso-capitatis instructis. Antherae2 mm. longae, fere sessiles. Ovarium 
3 mm. altum, 2:5 mm. diametro, stylo 5 mm. longo, stigmate 1 mm. longo. 
Capsula exserta, ambitu oblonga, circiter 1°5 cm. longa, straminea, pluri- 
suleata; semina parva, tuberculata.—W. G. Crate. 
The Primula which forms the subject of our illustration 
is one which was raised by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons from 
seeds collected on their behalf by Mr. W. Purdom, at Tao- 
chow in Western Kansu, where it grows at an elevation of 
10-11,000 feet above the level of the sea. In consequence 
of the not inconsiderable number of Primulas at present 
finding their way into cultivation for the first time, the task 
of the fcrmal descriptive botanist is not a very simple one. 
In that task he has of late been accorded the assistance of 
cultural authorities who now call for the use of a name for 
purposes of citation in connection with the issue of certain 
horticultural certificates. Instead of diminishing, this 
practice rather increases the difficulty of the descriptive 
botanist even when, as in the present instance, the naked- 
ness of a particular name is partially concealed by the 
reproduction of photographs and the provision of a brief 
vernacular descriptive account by horticultural journals. 
JaNraRy, 1914. 
