PRIMULA. 



grow old. Among these, lonely on each shoot, sits a single solitary 

 lilac-rosy star of blossom with deeply-cloven lobes. 



P. Henryi remains wrapped in obscurity in the mountain-woods of 

 Yunnan. We only know that it is a strange oddity. The leathery 

 oval leaves are of immense length, standing boldly upright, to the 

 height of 18 inches or more, on foot -stalks usually longer than them- 

 selves, and set -with spiny teeth all round. The graceful stem overtops 

 them and opens into an almost umbellate shower of small flowers at 

 present imperfectly known, but the general effect is hardly that of a 

 Primula at all. 



P. heterochromia lives in Persia, and has its little leaves downy-white 

 on the under-side. It is merely a small gem-hke form of the Primrose, 

 with the same yellow blooms though much diminished. 



P. heterodonta, a Japanese high-alpine, is a microform of P. cunei- 

 folia, to be distinguished by the leaves, larger and thinner, with 

 coarse irregular toothing, and more luxuriant. (Pax's note misleads.) 

 This group stands near our own species of the Erythrodose section- 

 neat rock-plants, with quite short stems and heads of large and 

 brilliant flowers. But they are wholly smooth and glandless ; P. 

 heterodonta is quite the brightest and best — like our own alpine friends 

 in dense rosette and stout flower-head. 



P. heucherifolia is the thing cultivated usually as P. Gaignepainii. 

 It has a general resemblance to a neat and charming Cortusa Matthioli, 

 with fuller pendent bell-flowers of rich and sombre purple, on graceful 

 little stems of 6 inches or so, standing high above the tuft of soft and 

 crinkled deep-lobed leaves. It should have the treatment of the 

 Cortusa. it mimics, and be shielded from wet in winter. 



P. Eeydei is much more original. It forms wide and wandering 

 masses of small rosettes, emitting long runners that terminate in 

 more, made up of congregated narrow tiny leaves, so deeply and 

 sharply toothed as to have a spinulous look, yet not rigid either to eye 

 or touch. Here and there, from these rosettes, rise up stems of an 

 inch and a half or less, giant for the minute size of the plant — carrying 

 a wide head of some six or eight pale-lilac flowers like those of P. 

 farinosa, standing in a laxer flatter cluster. A high-alpine from Western 

 Tibet. It should go into the choicest moraine ; it is noted that species 

 of the Denticulata -group that are covered with snow in winter are 

 usually annual or biennial, so that the rale might apply here, but that 

 P. Heyde's running habit mmiortalises it. For one may take it for 

 granted that snow occasionally lies on the Roof-beam of the World 

 in winter. At lower elevations the section is addicted to open 

 glades on the hillsides, among the buttercups and Anemones, such 



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