$ BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF PRIMULA. 33 
reference to scabrid leaves as diagnostic seems to indicate a 
prominent mark. Pax, however, describes P. imcisa, Franch. 
as having also glabrous leaves, and certainly Pratt’s plants 
have leaves with this character. But Pratt’s plants have not 
the glabrous scape which both Franchet and Pax describe for 
P.incisa, Franch. Then Pax introduces the character of golden 
meal on the pedicels—that is apparent in Pratt’s plant No. 31, 
and I have seen it on two other specimens—Henry’s No. 134 
and Wilson’s No. 4046A in Kew Herbarium. It is surely one 
that Franchet would not have overlooked in the Muping plant 
to which he ascribed golden meal sparingly on the calyx. Pax 
says of the calyx, ‘“ glaber vel intus farinosus.”’ 
Without doubt P. incisa, Franch. is a type around which 
are to be grouped microforms which further investigation must 
sift out. 
The species I describe here under the name P. oresbia, Balf. 
fil., belongs to the aggregate but is certainly different from 
Franchet’s P. incisa, Franch. and does not belong to Pax’s 
chimaera. The intensely white farina on the under side of the 
leaves and all over the inflorescence, and particularly the calyx, 
is a mark of separation, and I have seen no form amongst those 
which I have examined with which our plant conforms exactly. 
Specimens of this imcisa aggregate which I have seen in the 
Kew Herbarium are Henry, Nos. 134, 8869; Pratt, Nos. 31, 
161, 258; Soulié, No. 383; Wilson, Nos. 4046, 40464, 4046B. 
The form most like P. oresbia, Balf. fil. is Henry’s No. 8869, 
but it has golden meal. There are also some good specimens 
in the Herbarium of the British Museum, but I have not yet 
been able to undertake the task of critical examination and 
comparison of them and the Kew specimens. 
The examination of P. oresbia, Balf. fil. confirms me in the 
opinion I expressed at the Primula Conference that P. incisa, 
Franch. does not find its natural place in the Section Soldan- 
elloides. These two species seem to occupy a position linking 
Soldanelloides with Bella and Yunnanensis. 
9 Primula petrophyes, Balf. fil. 
Glabra efarinosa rhizomate breve foliisque rosulatis. Folia 
ad 3.5 cm. longa ; lamina ad 5 mm. lata coriacea glauca anguste 
lanceolata acuminata a medio deorsum in petiolum aequilongum 
membranaceo-alatum vaginantem gradatim attenuata margine 
linea alba cartilaginea et denticulis subaculeatis recurvis notata. 
Scapus ad 8 cm. altus superne atropurpureus rugosus minute 
pulverulentus umbellam 3-5-floram unilateralem subnutantem 
gerens; bracteae purpurascentes exteriores ad 7 mm. longae 
a basi lata vaginante subauriculata carinata et pedicello con- 
Cc . 
