9 



and their inflorescence in other respects differs so much from that of 

 any other species of Maxillaria with which I am acquainted, that 

 they may be considered as forming a very distinct group of the genus. 



Feed. Westcott. 



Art. Til. — Description of a Primula, found at Thames Ditton^ 

 Surrey, exhibiting characters both of the Primrose and the 

 Cowslip. By Hewett Cotteell Watson, Esq., F.L.S. &c. 



The circumstances under which this oxlip was found, rather than 

 any peculiar character in the plant itself, induced me to exhibit it at 

 the meeting of the London Botanical Society on Friday last. 



For several years past I have been in the custom of traversing the 

 fields and coppices of Thames Ditton and the adjoining parishes, and 

 have particularly looked out for oxlips, but until the present spring- 

 not a single plant of the kind has been observed, while cowslips and 

 primroses are abundant in many places. The oxlip in question was 

 found in an old orchard, where the ground is very damp, and in sum- 

 mer much shaded by trees. Numerous plants with the true cowslip 

 and primrose characters were growing about this solitary oxlip ; 

 and I could not see another specimen on again visiting the spot a week 

 later, when more of the cowslips had come into flower. It should be 

 remarked, however, that as I had never before been within the orch- 

 ard, I cannot say that oxlips had not grown there in preceding years. 

 I had frequently walked down a lane which runs alongside the orch- 

 ard, and observed that it contained both cowslips and primroses; and 

 was again doing so, when the showy flowers of the oxlip attracted my 

 attention, and induced me to cross the hedge for it. The mention of 

 an orchard might lead to a supposition that the plant had been intro- 

 duced ; but this appears to me improbable, since the fruit-trees grow 

 in grass only, there being neither dug ground, nor any garden j^lants ex- 

 cept the fruit-trees, which are chiefly apples. All the circumstances 

 lead to a reasonable presumption, that this solitary oxlip had origi- 

 nated from a seed either of the cowslip or primrose ; yet its characters 

 are so completely intermediate between the two, that I can give only 

 the slightest preponderance in favour of the cowslip. 



The plant I imagine to have been of three years' gi'owth, and that 

 this is the second year of its flowering. It had four umbels, only 

 on eof them having the flowers expanded when the plant was taken up. 

 Besides these umbels there were half-a-dozen solitary flowers and buds 



