PRIMULACE^. 141 



root was found by Mr. Wilson Saunders. Var. /3 formerly grew at 

 Bramfield, Suffolk, but I believe the bank has been destroyed, and 

 the plant is not now to be found there. It (probably var. a) has been 

 reported from Pembroke, Avhere it may have been planted, and from 

 Notts, in which county it is said to occur plentifully, but 1 have seen 

 no specimens, and looking at the geographical distribution of the 

 plant there is little probability that it is native. 



[England.] Perennial. Autumn. 



Rootstock somewhat turnip-shaped, but much broader across than 

 deep, brown, flowei'ing when about 1 inch across, and inci*easing in 

 succeeding years to a diameter of 3 or even 4 inches. Leaves on long 

 petioles, incurved-reclinate when young; the lamina l^to 3 inches long, 

 varying considerably in breadth and greatly in the prominence and 

 sharpness of the angles, dark green, prettily variegated with light green, 

 which forms scalloped concentric bands, underside concolorous, green 

 or more or less tinged with purple. Peduncles erect or ascending, 4 to 

 inclies long, with the flowers recurved-reclinate when yoimg. Calyx 

 deeply 5-cleft, the lobes ovate, lanceolate, subobtuse, as long as the tube 

 of the corolla. Corolla tube globular; limb divided to the base into 5 

 sharply reflexed segments, about 1 inch long. In var. a the segments 

 are broader towards the apex, and have within the tube a crimson-rose 

 spot, which divides into two lobes on the reflexed part of the segment. 

 In var. |3 the segments are much narrower, nearly the same width 

 throughout, and pure white ; in both cases they are slightly twisted. The 

 fruiting peduncles are closely rolled up, the fruit is about the size of a 

 small cherry, dull olive or reddish, speckled with short maroon-coloured 

 streaks, the pericarp slightl}' fleshy, at length splitting at the apex 

 into an inconstant number of teeth, which roll slightly back to allow 

 the seeds to escape. Seeds about i inch in diameter, piano- or con- 

 cavo-convex, roughened all over with minute points, dim reddish- 

 brown, somewhat viscid when fresh. Plant glabrous, with the scapes 

 and calyx segments puberulent glandular. 



Ivy -leaved Cyclamen. 



French, Cyclamen afeuilles de lierre. 



This plant is kno-pm by tlie common name of Sow Bread ; the root is purgative and 

 acrid, and liad an ancient reputation in medicine. In Gerarde's time it was regarded 

 as a dangerous plant to mothers, and he tells us that so great did he consider the 

 danger and inconvenience of touching it, that he had " about the place whei-e it 

 gi-oweth in my garden fastened stickes in the gi-ound, and some other stickes I have 

 fastened also crosse waics over them, lest any woman by lamentable experiment find 

 my words to be true, by their stepping over the same." 



