OLD-FASHIONED GARDEN FLOWERS. 211 



toothed and undulated, fleshy, somewhat glaucous and petiolate. 

 The habit of the plant is to root as it creeps, and the thread-like 

 stems intersect each other in a pleasing way. They are to be 

 seen distinctly, as the leaves are not only small, but distant, and 

 seem to rest on a lattice-work of stems. This species comes 

 from the Falkland Islands, and is of recent introduction. 



It is herbaceous and perennial, and proves hardy in this 

 climate if planted on a well-drained soil of a vegetable character. 

 It not only enjoys such a position as the slope of rockwork, but, 

 when so placed, it may be seen to advantage. It should be free 

 from shade, or the fruit will not colour well. It will therefore be 

 seen that this is a rock plant, so far as its decorative qualities 

 are concerned. It may, however, be grown well on flat beds of 

 peat soil, where its fruit will mature finely, but it cannot be so 

 well seen. It is self-propagating. Transplantings should be 

 made in spring, or tufts may be placed in pots, during the 

 autumn, and put in cold frames, as then they would not suffer 

 displacement by frosts. 



Flowering period, June to frosts. 



Primula Acaulis. 



8yu. P. YTJLGARIS, COMMON PRIMROSE; Nat. Ord. 



PRIMTJLACEJE. 



THIS common native flower needs no description, growing every- 

 where, yet we all seem to enjoy its company in our gardens, 

 though it "may, perhaps, be seen wild close by. It is a flower of 

 more interest than ordinary, and to the florist of some im- 

 portance. The great variety of double and single primroses 

 have all sprung from this, the modest form found in our woods 

 and damp hedgerows, and the number is being added to year by 

 year. The generic name is in allusion to a quality that of early 

 or first flowering. The specific name, acaulis, is in reference to 

 its stemlessness, which is its main distinguishing feature from 

 the Polyanthus and Oxlip (P. veris}. I may add, that from the 

 great variety of P. acaulis and P. veris, and their mutual resem- 

 blance in many instances, the casual observer may often find in 

 this feature a ready means by which to identify a specimen. Of 

 course, there are other points by which the different species can 

 be recognised, even when the scape is out of sight, but I am now 

 speaking of their general likeness to each other in early spring. 



Common Cowslips or Paigles (P. veris}, great Cowslips or 

 Oxlips (P. elatior}, field primrose or large-flowered primrose 

 (P. acaulis}, were all in olden times called by the general name 

 of primrose, the literal meaning of which is first-rose Old 

 authorities give us many synonymous names for this plant, as 

 P. grandiflora, P. vulgaris, P. sylvestris, and P. veris. The last is 

 given by three authorities, including Linnaeus. As this seems to 



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