322 D. Praia — Some additional Papaveraeeae. [No. 3, 



The area occupied by Rcemeria is the conjoined Mediterranean and Oriental 

 regions so that only the merest fringe of their area comes within the limits of the 

 Indian Empire. Like Pupaver therefore Rcemeria is not really an Indian 

 genus. The nearest natural allies of its species are the prickly-capsuled members 

 of Papaver § Rhceades from which they only differ in having valves that dehisce 

 throughout instead of by pores. By this character Rcemeria approaches Gathcartia 

 and that so closely that, as originally defined, Gathcartia differs only from Rcemeria 

 in having crested seeds and differently coloured flowers. A new Gathcartia from 

 Sikkim, however, agrees with Rcemeria in both characters ; but for the presence 

 of a style, not admitted in the original definition, in the species of Gathcartia, that 

 genus must have been merged in Rcemeria from which it therefore only differs by 

 the character that separates Meconopsis from Papaver. The place usually assigned 

 to Rcemeria in taxonomic works is close to Chelidonium and Glaucium ; the arrange- 

 ment is neither natural nor convenient. 



1. Rcemeria htbeida DC Syst. Veg. ii. 92 (1821) ; leaves pinnati- 

 fid to -sect ; filaments subulate ; capsule uniformly patently setose. 



Var. eriocarpa DO. Syst. ii. 93 (1821) ; leaf segments oval 

 oblong, flowers small. R. pinnatifida Boivin in Belang. Voy. Ic. t. 2 

 (1838). R. orientalis Boiss. Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. ii xvi. 37 A (1841) ; Flor, 

 Orient, i. 118 (1867). R. Schimperi Presl, Bot. Bemerk. 8(1843). 

 R. hybrida var. 8. H. f. 8f T. Flor. Lid. 257 (1855); W alp Ann. iv. 

 171(1857). 



Nouth-West Frontier: British Belnchistan ; Hamilton! Duke! 

 Duthie ! Lace! DiSTitlB. (of species) Westward to Spain: (of variety) 

 Belucbistan, Afghanistan and Persia to Egypt. 



Flowers 1 in. in diam. Capsules 1-2 in. long more or less copiously setose alike 

 on placental ribs and valves. The variety hardly differs from the typical R. hybrida, 

 which in tlio true Mediterranean region is itself very variable, except iu the shape 

 of the leaf segments and the smaller size of flowers and fruit. 



All the specimens from British territory belong to this variety, which Boissier 

 and others treat as a species. If so dealt with it should however be noted that the 

 oldest name is not Boissier's one of R. orientalis, but Belanger's one of R. pinnatifida. 

 The oldest name for the species as a whole is R violacea Medik [Ust. Ann. iii. 15 

 (1792) ] but that employed by DeCandolle being in more general use I have continued 

 its employment. 



2 Rcemeria refracta DG. Syst. Veg. ii. 93 (1821) ; leaves 2-pin- 

 natipartite segments linear ; flowers large filaments dilated ; capsule 

 narrowed at the tip, glabrous. Delessert, Icon. Select, iii. t. 8 ( 1823) ; 

 DC Prodr. i. 122(1824). R. rbceadiflora Boiss. Diagn. ser. i. vi. 7 

 (1845) ; Flor. Orient, i. 119 (1867). R. hybrida vars. /3. y. H. f. 8r T. 

 Flor. Lid. 257 (1855) ; Walp. Ann. iv. 174 (1857). 



North West Himalaya : Badakshan, Giles ! Distrib. Afghanistan, 

 Belucbistan, Turkestan, Persia, Armenia. 



Flowers 2 in. in diam. Capsules 1-2 in. long, without setae on the valves, some- 

 times with a few along the placental ribs. 



