10 



on as many separate scapes ; all these single-flowered scapes spring- 

 ing jfrom the same point amongst the leaves clustered on the head of 

 the root, or rather, subterranean stem. The calyx is intermediate be- 

 tween those of the cowslip and primrose. The corolla has the deep 

 colour of the cowslip, but in size, and in the flatness of the limb, ap- 

 proaches much nearer to that of the primrose. The leaves of the 

 present year have the colour and nearly the form of those of the cows- 

 lip, but two or three large half-withered leaves, of last year as far as 

 can be now ascertained, resembled more decidedly those of the prim- 

 rose. If these old leaves had not been seen, I should have pronoun- 

 ced the plant a cowslip, notwithstanding the size and flatness of the 

 corolla, and the few single-flowered scapes. 



The specimen exhibited at the meeting was only half the plant ; 

 the other part is planted in my garden, where I hope to watch its 

 flowers next spring. 



After finding this one specimen, I examined the cowslip and prim- 

 rose localities all around with renewed diligence, and found a second 

 oxlip a mile or two from the first, and in a situation very different, ex- 

 cept in being damp. It was growing amongst many cowslips in a 

 pasture field, with primroses not many yards distant, and in every re- 

 spect resembled the other cowslips, except that the corolla had the 

 pale tint and almost the shape of the primrose ; being considerably 

 larger than the cowslip, but smaller than the primrose. This plant 

 had been crushed under the foot of a cow ; and its leaves were small 

 and the scapes short, and bearing few flowers : it was obviously in- 

 jured and unhealthy. 



Primroses, self-sown, spring up freely in my garden, and the seed- 

 lings occasionally produce umbelliferous scapes ; but in other respects 

 they have hitherto retained all the characters of the wild primrose, 

 except varying in colour from pale yellow to different shades of red, 

 and occasionally exhibiting monstrosities in the calyx. 



I may remark that young botanists sometimes mistake a late state 

 of the common cowslip for the oxlip. After the germen is fertilized, 

 the flowers of the former become erect ; the limb of the corolla loses 

 its concave form, and when large and vigorous it bears at this stage 

 some resemblance to a small primrose flower. 



Thames Ditton, Hewett C. Watson. 



April 19, 1841. 



