THE PRIMROSE FAMILY. 451 



mum supply of plump, sound seeds. Mr Anderson-Henry 

 made some experiments in hybridising this genus with Primula, 

 but failed to obtain satisfactory results, although fertile seeds 

 were produced. Further trials might succeed. Hybrids might 

 possibly be obtained between Dodecatheon and some species of 

 Cyclamen, since they seem to be more nearly allied than any 

 other genera in the order. The germination of Dodecatheon 

 seeds is rather anomalous, and is thus described by a corre- 

 spondent of the 'Gardeners' Chronicle,' 1871, p. 836: "In 

 seedlings of Dodecatheon Meadia, I find that the cotyledons 

 remain for a considerable time fully expanded, without the 

 least trace of a bud showing itself in the axil ; but at length a 

 bud breaks forth through a longitudinal cleft in the apparent 

 stem just above where the radicle enters the earth. In this 

 case, which is quite different from that of the Anagallis, the 

 stem which supports the cotyledons may be only their united 

 prolonged bases in which the bud is immersed, as it is in some 

 American Compositae, which expand their cotyledons above the 

 surface of the earth, supported upon an apparent stem, which 

 is, however, tubular, and the bud really rises from a point be- 

 low the surface of the ground and pushes its leaves up through 

 the axil." This case of the Dodecatheon is additionally in- 

 teresting when we remember that in Cyclamen the embryo is 

 pushed out of the seed-coats, as a part of the germinative pro- 

 cess, in a way analogous to what generally occurs in endoge- 

 nous plants (see Yucca). 



Primula. This is one of the most attractive of all our 

 groups of garden plants, partly from the ease with which they 

 may be propagated and cultivated, and partly from the* varia- 

 bility in the form, size, arrangement, and colour of their in 

 many cases fragrant flowers. Our common native Primrose 

 has long been cultivated in gardens, and from it and P. veris, 

 the Cowslip, has originated the Oxlip Primrose, and numerous 

 beautiful forms of richly-coloured Polyanthus or many-flowered 

 Primroses, now so popular in our outdoor gardens and wood- 

 land walks. Parkinson (1629) describes and figures many 

 varieties of double, single, and monstrous Primroses and Cow- 

 slips then cultivated in English gardens. The whole matter 

 of cross- fertilisation between the Cowslip and common wild 

 Primrose is full of interest ; but it demands more space to ex- 

 plain than can here be spared. The reader, however, may refer 

 to Darwin's papers on the subject in the 'Jour. Linn. Soc.,' 

 x - 393-437- Primulas are distributed throughout nearly all 

 temperate countries, many of the European species being 

 Alpine. Some of our most beautiful Primroses come from 



