316 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [Sess. lxxix. 



style in both long-styled and short- styled flowers. 

 But I have not had flowers for dissection enough 

 to warrant a definite statement. 



Gynaeceum. — What I have said in the previous para- 

 graph is applicable here also. The dimensions of 

 the stigma vary much, and whilst in some forms 

 the dried stigma is red, we know that in P. 

 obconica, Hance, in cultivation it is a yellow -green. 



Fruit. — Here, again, too few specimens have been 

 available for examination. 



In determining the sequence in which to deal with the 

 forms about which I am about to write, I had to consider 

 the possibility of a morphological or an oecological system. 

 Both alike present difficulties born of imperfection of data 

 — sparseness of record on the one hand, fewness of examples 

 on the other. I have therefore neglected both, and shall 

 describe in the first instance variations that clearly 

 approach P. Listeri, King, and then variations that may 

 be regarded as more near P. obconica, Hance. The series 

 of illustrations should enable anyone to grasp the main 

 points that are distinctive of the several forms. 



P. Listeri, King, P. austrolisteri, Balf. fil. 

 (Plates XX VI, XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX, XXX.) 



Taking the account of P. Listeri, King, in its type form 

 from Sikkim (see Plates XXVI and XXVII) as a starting 

 point, we find variations even in the few specimens that are 

 known to us under the name from other areas. 



Plate XXVIII shows a Chumbi plant collected 28th May 

 1884 by one of King's collectors at Soo-li-la (No. 599). It 

 is not far removed from the Sikkim type, but the specimens 

 give one the impression of a more fragile plant in the 

 foliage, and also markedly in the flower-pedicels, which are 

 longer. We have no indication of its habitat, and I note it 

 mainly as an illustration of slight modification occurring in 

 an area not far removed from that in which the type P. 

 Listeri, King, was found, and also because in the lengthen- 

 ing of the pedicels it brings the Sikkim P. Listeri, King, 

 towards the plant I shall now speak of. 



More prominent are the variations which appear in a 



