1895.] D. Prairt — Some additional Papaveraceae. 323 



When M. Boissier in 1845 first defined B. rhceacliflora he considered it a species 

 apart from B. refracta ; the only character, however, by which he conld diagnose his 

 species was that its pedicels did not turn down. There is however no character to 

 separate the two and M. Boissier admits this when in the Flora Orientalis he 

 includes under B. rhceacliflora the solitary gathering (Derbent, Steven ! ) on which 

 the species B. refracta was founded ! By an oversight, however, he omits to cite the 

 name that DeCandolle had already given to the specimens of this gathering, or 

 to merge his own later name in it. The writer, who has examined both Steven's, 

 and therefore DeCandolle's, as well as Boissier's original specimens is satisfied that 

 Boissier is right in considering the two conspecific. And a note by Stocks, on the 

 specimen in Herb. Calcutta of the gathering from Beluchistan identified by 

 Boissier with B, rhceacliflora, shows that that botanist had already recognised the 

 identity of Boissier's species with B. refracta DC. 



5. (— .) GLAUCIUM Tournef. 



Biennial or perennial glaucous herbs with yellow juice. Radical 

 leaves rosulate petioled, cauline more or less amplexicaul incised or 

 lobed. Peduncles axillary or terminal 1-fld. Sepals 2 ; petals 4, orange- 

 yellow convolute, stamens numerous ; ovary linear; stigma 2-lamellate 

 sessile, lamellae erect, alternate with the placentas and projecting at 

 each end so as to form conjointly two horizontal arms stigmatic above, 

 ojoposite the placentas. Capsule a slender cylindric pseudo-siliqna, 

 valves dehiscing throughout their length and leaving a pseudo-repluni 

 resulting from union of margins of intruded placentae, in which the 

 seeds are semi-immersed. Seeds scorbiculate without crests. Species 

 about 15; throughout the Mediterranean, Oriental and Central Asian 

 regions. 



Key to the Indian Species. 



* Pods slender, not much thicker than peduncles, slightly 



torulose, contorted or irregularly curved, rarely straight 1. G. elegans. 

 * * Pods stout, nearly twice as thick as peduncles, not toru- 

 lose, straight or only slightly regularly bent ... 2. G. squamigerum. 



Like Bcemeria and Papaver, Glaucium is not a truly Indian genus. The difficulty 

 of distinguishing satisfactorily the different forms has led in various taxonomic 

 works to a great diversity of treatment. In the Flora Orientalis M. Boissier has 

 distinguished thirteen Oriental species; in Acta Sort. Petrop. (1887) Dr. Kuntze 

 has proposed the extreme measure of reducing all the forms to one very variable 

 species Glaucium corniculatum. Doubtless the truth lies somewhere between these 

 two extremes. M. Boissier was an author of the greatest care and of the highest 

 judgment and the various forms that he describes are at all events recognisable. 

 And though it is possible to some extent to justify the view of Dr. Knntze when the 

 genus is looked at from the monographer's stand point, it is not necessary or advis- 

 able to adopt it when dealing with the flora of a given area. Besides, an examination 

 of Kuntze' s work does not leave the impression that he appreciates the value even 

 for vai'ietal differentiation, of the characters exhibited by the varieties and sub- 



J. ii. 41 



