326 D. Prain — Some additional Papaveracese. [No. 3, 



a welcome addition to -western horticulture when its seeds are at length introduced 

 to Europe. 



3. Cathcartia polygonoides Prain ; glabrescent, rootstock slender 

 clothed with sheaths ; steins slender strigose ; radical leaf solitary per- 

 sisting long-petioled, canline leaves 2-3, lower long-petioled upper- 

 most sessile clasping, ovate-oblong obtuse base cuneate, truncate or 

 slightly cordate, margins entire or slightly incised crenate, sparingly 

 hairy on both surfaces; flowers small blueish-white; style distinct, 

 stigma small 2-3-lobed. 



Chumbi : Sham-chen, Dungboo ! Put-lo and Ling-moo-tong, King's 

 Collectors ! 



Stem 6-15 in. simple ; leaves H-2 in. by £-f in.; radical petioles 3 in., lower 

 canline petioles 1-4 in. long. Flowers solitary I in. diam. nodding, pedicels long 

 Blender ; petals narrowly lanceolate apex acute margin entire ; stamens 16 in 2 rows 

 of 8 each ; placentas 2—3. 



The flowers and unripe capsules of this plant s.re so remarkably like those of O. 

 that there would seem no room for doubt as to its generic position. But it is 

 at the same time remarkably like a small form of a plant from Yunnan described by 

 M. Franch&t as Meconopsis beta i [Plantae Delavayanae, 42, t. 12 (1889)] of 



which it has all the habit and, though on a smaller scale, exactly the foliage. A final 

 judgment on both Cathcartia poli/gonoidea and Meconopsis betonicaefolia can therefore 

 only be given when ripe fruit of both plants has been received. The specific differ- 

 ences between the two plants are the fewer (16) stamens in the Chumbi plant than in 

 the Yunnan one, whioh has 6i ; tin' narrower much smaller petals ; and the smaller 

 ovary and stigma. As regards stigma Meconopsis betonicaefolia more nearly approach- 

 es Cathcartia villosa, but (like the two species now described; it has a long style ; it 

 has :i!-'> more stamens (64 in 2 rows of 32 each in place of 32 in 2 rows of 16 each as 

 in C. vitlosa). The ovary and unripe capsules of Meconopsis betonicaefolia, Cathcartia 

 lyrata and C. polygonoides arc remarkably similar ; knowing that one of them is a Cat/i-. 

 cartia the writer thinks it possible that the other two may eventually prove to be 

 members of the same genus. 



7. (4.) CHELIDONIUM Tgurnef. 



Perennial glaucous herbs with yellow juice. Radical leaves 

 petioled few erect or many rosulate, cauline few scattered, or 0, floral 0, 

 or 2 terminal Bubopposed, or several near apex scattered. Flowers in 

 fascicled or corymbose cymes. Sepals 2, petals 4, yellow or orange, 

 convolute, stamens numerous, ovaries linear rarely ovate, 2- (rarely 3- 

 4)-valved; style distinct stigma 2-lamellate lobes erect alternate with 

 placentas, sinuses not projecting into arms. Capsule slender cylindric, 

 rarely ovate, valves dehiscing throughout their length. Seeds shining 

 smooth or opaque pitted, not scrobiculate, raphe crested. Species 9 ; 

 7 Chinese, of which 1 (C. japonicum) extends to Japan, another (C. 

 viajus) occurs also in Japan, Mongolia and Dahux-ia, extends westwai'd 

 to Britain and is naturalised in N. America; 1 North American; 

 1 Himalayan. 



