NEILGHERRY PLANTS. 27 
PRIMULACEA—Primrost-TRIBE. 
This tribe to which the Primrose, Oxlip, Cowslip, Auricula Lousestrife and Pimper- 
nel belong, furnishes but few species to the hill flora, three only, so far as I am aware, haying 
yet been found indigenous on them and these not those endeared to us by early associations 
through the delight experienced in our juvenile days on beholding, in early spring, 
sunny banks bedecked with tufts of fragrant yellow flowers when all around was still held 
in the cold deadly grasp of winter. Two of ours belong to the Lousestrife family 
(Lysimachia) and the other is a Pimpernel (Anagallis) or “poor man’s weather glass” as 
it is sometimes called in allusion to its only opening its flowers during fair weather and 
closing them on the approach of rain. In Europe these genera are found on the plains 
dowering about Midsummer, while the Cowslips and Primroses are either natives of the 
cold mountain tops or flower in early spring. To this circumstance perhaps may be 
attributed the fact ofthe summer forms only extending to our southern mountains, while 
the spring ones frequent the more northern and colder Himalayas. 
The flowers of this tribe ate remarkable on account of the position of their sta- 
mens with regard to the lobes of the corolla. It may here be mentioned that a monopetalous: 
corolla is assumed to consist of as many petals combined into one as there are lobes, hence 
~ that the corolla of the primrose which has five lobes is composed of 5 petals. It may further 
be observed that in perfectly regular flowers, having double the number of stamens that 
there are petals, that the first or outer row are alternate with the petals and the second or 
inner opposite to them. In Primulacee the stamens are always opposite to the lobes of the 
corolla not placed between them. ‘This is important as indicating a great irregularity in the 
dower which is attributed to the total suppression of the outer row of stamens. This 
remarkable peculiarity is only known to occur in three families of exogenous plants 
Primulacee, Myrsineacee and Plumbaginee. The two first are so closely associated as 
only to be distinguished by habit, the former being always herbaceous with capsular fruit the 
latter shrubby or arboreous with drupaceous fruit. ‘These characters can scarcely be admit- 
ted to be of ordinal value, hence, by rights, the two orders should be united and reduced 
to the rank of suborders. But as no inconvenience in practice results from their separation 
all systematic writers seem disposed to leave well alone and let them remain as they are. 
Another peculiarity of this family is found in the ovary and capsule but is not well 
brought out in the accompanying dissections, which is, that it consists of a single cell with 
* free central placenta covered on all sides with ovules which lie flat on its surface. The 
cause of this is, according to Dr. Lindley, ascertained by dissecting the ovary when very 
young, long before the expansion of the flower, when it is found to be 5 celled but the 
slender partitions break and disappear before the flower opens leaving the otherwise very 
inexplicable appearance designated a “ free central placenta.” ‘The same it is said, is found 
exist in Myrsineacee but I have not succeeded in verifying the observation in either case. 
This family is greatly prized by florists on account of the extreme beauty and 
fragrance of their flowers, and as being the earliest harbingers of spring, a distinction 
