88 Commercial Gardening 



members of which have been described under separate headings, viz.: 

 the Primrose (P. vulgaris), the Chinese Primrose (P. sinensis), and P. 

 obconica; the Auricula (P. Auricula); the Polyanthus (P. variabilis). 

 Apart from these there are over 150 species, natives chiefly of the moun- 

 tains of Central Europe, the Himalayas, China, and Japan, and it is 

 possible that there are many more waiting to be discovered. The great 

 majority are so scarce that they can never hope to be found outside 

 botanical collections. For detailed particulars of most of them the reader 

 is referred to the Practical Guide to Garden Plants, pp. 604 to 618. 



Amongst those in which a trade is done at present the following 

 may be mentioned: 



1. Primulas that will grow in ordinary good garden soil in partially 

 shaded places: 



Beesiana, flowers in tiers, rich velvety purple with yellow eye; 

 Bulleyana, flowers closely set on stems 18 in. high, golden yellow suffused 

 with deep orange outside; cortusioides, rose purple with several varieties; 

 denticulata, globular heads of lilac flowers; white in the variety alba] 

 Forresti, flowers canary yellow, fragrant, resembling a large cowslip, and 

 borne on stems 15 in. high; lichiagensis, purple crimson, in the way 

 of cortusioides; Littoniana, a striking plant with rosettes of silvery 

 leaves, and rosy lilac flowers borne in pyramidal spikes 1J ft. high, 

 reminding one very much of Orchis pyramidalis; Poissoni, deep purple 

 with bright-yellow eye; Sieboldi (or amcena), in the way of cortusioides, 

 with deep -rose flowers, varying in different varieties to lilac, lavender, 

 mauve, pale blue, &c.; Veitchi, flowers pink to rose. 



2. Primulas that like moist shady spots and a soil rich in humus 

 and old mortar rubble: 



Cockburniana, flowers orange scarlet in whorls on slender stems; 

 Allioni, mauve; Arctotis (a cross between Auricula and viscosa), with 

 white or lilac flowers; calycina, rose purple; capitata, rich violet purple, 

 not quite hardy; carniolica, blue with white centre; farinosa, leaves 

 mealy, flowers pale lilac, yellow centre; frondosa, leaves mealy, flowers 

 rose lilac; glutinosa, flowers rich purple in dense heads; hirsuta, rose 

 purple; integrifolia, purple rose; rnarginata, leaves with whitish mar- 

 gins, flowers violet rose or pale purple; Mauretiana (a hybrid between 

 integrifolia and viscosa), with dense heads of deep-purple flowers; 

 megascefolia, distinct foliage, and flowers of crimson purple; minima, 

 rose with white centre; pubescens, a hybrid with rosy-crimson flowers 

 and yellow centre; spectabilis, fleshy leaves and deep rose-purple flowers; 

 viscosa, leaves clammy, flowers rose purple with white centre, &c. 



3. Primulas requiring damp positions and a leaf mould compost: 

 Pulverulenta, foliage mealy, flowers rich blood crimson; involucrata, 



leaves bright green, flowers creamy white; japonica, a magnificent species 

 with tufts of leaves 6-12 in. or more long, and flowers in several whorls 

 on stems 2-3 ft. high, deep crimson, rose, purple to white according 

 to variety; luteola, flowers in round heads, drooping, pale yellow; Parryi, 



