three-quarters of a line broad, so closely covered witli liairs, like those of" 

 the stem, that the whole epidermis is hidden. Their veins are concealed 

 by the hairs ; but if the latter are removed, they appear to consist, of a 

 thickened midrib, and a few nearly simple spreading vena3 primariog. 

 The flowers proceed from the axils of the upper leaves, from three to 

 six on each little branch ; at first they are sessile, but their footstalks 

 subsequently lengthen by degrees until the fruit is ripe, when they are 

 from three-quarters of an inch to one inch in length, and covered with 

 the same sort of hairs as the leaves and stem. The calyx is hairy in like 

 manner, obconical, angular, with five equal erect narrowly triangular 

 teeth, about the length of the tube. The corolla is of a vivid purple 

 colour, infundibuliform, wholly destitute of pubescence. The Uibe is a 

 little ventricose, and rather longer than the calyx, its whole length being 

 about three lines. The limb is spreading, five-parted with cuneate, oblong, 

 obtuse segments ; the orifice is guarded by five transversely linear calli, 

 placed under each sinus, and corresponding to the same number of ex- 

 ternal depressions of the neck of the tube. The anthers are linear oblong, 

 nearly sessile, opposite the segments of the corolla, and a little inclosed 

 within the tube. The ovarium is superior, of an obovate figure, one- 

 celled, with a central free fungilliform placenta, the lower edge of which 

 has five teeth corresponding to an equal number of peltate ovules. The 

 style is filiform, as long as the tube of the corolla, and continuous with 

 the ovarium ; stigma, a minute depressed cup. The capsule is of a carti- 

 laginous texture, surrounded by the persistent calyx, one-celled, with five 

 recurving valves ; the seeds are two, peltate, oblong, convex on the out- 

 side, concave in the inside, dark brown, covered closely with minute dots 

 or depressions ; four only having been found, their internal organization 

 has not been determined. 



" Hence it appears that, with the exception of the interior of the 

 seed, the whole structure of the plant is determinable : it is also obvious 

 that it is referable to Primulacese, of which it possesses all the characters. 

 In fact it is closely akin both to Primula and Androsace. From both 

 these genera, however its ovarium which exhibits the greatest instance of 

 reduction of ovules yet known in the order, and its dispermous capsule, 

 with oblong concave seeds, readily and essentially distinguish it." 



The foregoing statement is extracted from the notice of this genus 

 which I published some years ago in the Journal of the Royal Institution. 

 Since that time the plant has been raised in the garden of the Horticul- 

 tural Society, where it flowered in July, 1835, and subsequently in April, 

 1836, having been raised from seeds collected in California by Mr. Douglas. 

 It proves to be a branched herbaceous plant, growing pretty freely in 

 peat and sand, and ripening its seed in small quantity. Hitherto it has 

 been kept in the greenhouse, there having been only two plants raised in 

 the first instance ; it is however probable that it will thrive better under 

 the treatment suited to alpine plants. 



Sir William Hooker possesses a second species (Douglasia arctica, 

 Hooker) collected by Dr. Richardson on the shores of the Arctic sea. 



