Primulas of the Petiolaris-Sonchifolia Section. 



W. G. CRAIB, M.A. 



At the Primula conference * in 1913 I expressed the opinion 

 that our knowledge of the species allied to P. petiolaris was far 

 from satisfactory, and that for a clearer elucidation of the status 

 of the so-called varieties it would be necessary to study the grow- 

 ing plants. Recently, however, an opportunity for further 

 research has been afforded by the bringing together of all the 

 necessary specimens from the herbaria of the Royal Botanic 

 Garden, Calcutta, the Royal Gardens, Kew, and the Royal 

 Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. The examination of this abundant 

 material has served to confirm many of the opinions formed 

 previously which, however, could not be put forward at the 

 Primula conference owing to the inadequate material then at 

 my disposal. The new species which have had to be described 

 quite eclipsed previously formed expectations, and it is largely 

 on account of this great multiplication of species that it 

 was deemed advisable to bring together in definite form the 

 conclusions arrived at. 



HISTORICAL. 



The first two species to be published were P. petiolaris and 

 P. nana, both described by Wallich in 1824 from his Nepaul 

 collections.! In 1882 the dwarf alpine Sikkim P. Hookeri was 

 described and figured by Watt. In the end of the same year 

 that part of the Flora of British India dealing with the Primu- 

 laceae was published. How the present-day views of species 

 correspond with those of Hooker is well illustrated by noting 

 that the seven varieties of P. petiolaris enumerated in the Flora 

 of British India are in the present paper regarded as constituting 

 sixteen distinct species. In 1885 the first Chinese species— P. 

 sonchifolia—vras described by Franchet from Delavay's Yunnan 

 collection, and in the following year Franchet described P. 

 moupinensis from David's Moupine collection. 



* Tourn. Roy. Hort. Soc., vol. xxxix, p. 187 (1913)- , .„ , , . 



f References to the origin ! will be found 



in the chronologically arranged list. 

 [Notes, R.B.G., Edin., Nos. XXIX-XXX, Jan. 1917.] 



