144 



m 



be a white-floM^ered variety of that sjiecies. It ig, however^ in 

 reality so distinct tliat it is advisable to treat it as the type of a 

 separate group. 



5. AcTiLEATAE, Prain, I.e., p. 346; Eedde, Lc, p. 255 (sect.). 



8. Meconopsis aculeata, Eoyle : Fedde, I.e., fi^. 35 ^' (1909); 

 Mottet in Eev. Hort. 1912, p. 203. 



yar, typica; canles erecti simplices, raro basi 2-3 adscendentes, 

 3O~C0 cm. alti; rliizoma simplex crassum danciforme, radicibiis 

 gracilibus perpancis ornatum. 



XoRTii-vvKST Himalaya : In every district from Ha;^ara to 

 Kamaon. 



yar. nana, Prain; caules erecti simplices, 10-15 cm, alti; 



rliizoma gracile radices graciles dense caespitosas emittens- 



NoHTii-WEST Himalaya: Chamba, 9000 ft., Beresford. 



This species is the familiar ' Prickly Blue Poppy of Kashmir ' 

 of our gardens, and it is nnusnal to find plants with petals 

 other than skj^-blue. Yet in neither of the coloured figures of 

 the species which have been published so far is the usual colour 



Mag 



tained. 



H , 



s purple flowers. In connection 

 William Hoolver lias suggested 

 may be erroneous, and may "be 

 de from a herbarium specimen, 

 'xplanation bas been now ascer- 

 : M. aculeata witb flowers of tbe 



same colour and very nearly tbe same sbade as those of Royle's 

 picture blossomed in tbe collection at Kew. Tbis red colour is, how- 

 ever, eTidently rare as compared with the purple of Hooter's figure, 

 while the latter is itself uncommon; of all the species with 

 normally sky-blue petals M. aculeata and its ally M. latifoHa 

 are the two which in cultivated plants show the least tendency to 

 vary. It has been noted that whatever the colour of the petals 

 may be the filaments in M. aculeata are the same, though, as in 

 the other normally sky-blue species, the shade may be rather 

 deeper. It has also been noted that whatever the colour of the 

 petals and filaments may be, the stigma in M. aculeata is always 

 pale green. 



The figure of M. Gulielmi-Waldemari, given by Klotzsch 

 (Bot. Ergebu. Waldem. Eeise, t. 36) shows a plant with several 

 slender ascending stems in place of the solitary stem charac- 

 teristic of M. aculeata. This condition, for it is no more, of M. 

 ''eata seems to be unusual. It Has not been met with in culti- 



acu 



appears 



Hofmeistor collected the specimen figured by Klotzsch. Among 



M 



exam|)lc of this condition with several stems has been seen. ' This 

 specimen was collected by Strachey and "VYintorbottom, at Niti, 

 m Garhwal, at 11,000 ft., along with the ordinary condition. 

 The appearance of that specimen suggests the possibility of 

 some injury to the crown prior to the coramejicenient of the 

 flowering season's growth. 



