PRIMULA CONFERENCE. 



218 



Primula Auricula, which is widely spread in Switzerland 

 and Austria, and throughout all the Alps of Europe, and from 

 its varieties or hybrids, Balbisii, venusta and Goblii. This is 

 the Linnaean type (alluding to a specimen on the table). The 

 characteristic of all the forms of this Primula Auricula is an 

 amount of meal upon the leaves, spreading up the leaves, the 

 stalks, and the peduncles, and extending to the calyx. The 

 variety Balbisii differs from the type Auricula (it still keeps 

 its yellow flower) in its more hairy leaves and more toothed 

 leaves. Then there is a third plant which has been supposed 

 to be a hybrid, but may be a mere variety of Primula Auricula, 

 namely, Primula venusta. I do not see any specimens on the 

 table, and I do not know if there are any down below, but it is 

 in reality one of the plants we ought to look to, because it has 

 an intensely purple flower, and I think it is extremely likely 

 that it is from that that the purple colour of many of the 

 garden Auriculas has come. But the plant which most nearly 

 matches the common garden Auricula is Kemer's Primula 

 Goblii. It is said to be a wild type. P. Goblii may be a hybrid 

 or it may be a variety of P. Auricula, but I find no difficulty in 

 supposing the mass of garden Auriculas have come from this, 

 from venusta, from Balbisii, and from typical P. Auricula. 



What cultivators call the Alpine Auricula I believe to 

 be substantially Primula pubescens, which is a plant which 

 Kerner writes about. The way in which I differ from Kerner 

 is that instead of supposing this Primula pubescens to be the 

 parent of all the garden Auriculas, I consider that Goblii, venusta, 

 Balbisii, and typical P. Auricula, are the ancestors of the common 

 garden Auricula, and pubescens the progenitor only of what 

 gardeners call the Alpine Auricula. Primula pubescens is a 

 plant which Clusius introduced into cultivation 200 years ago. 

 There are in the Alps of Switzerland a number of forms nearly 

 allied to pubescens. Whether they are hybrids or true species 

 does not matter much. There are plenty of them in the Alps of 

 Styria and Switzerland, and I think if you compare your culti- 

 vated specimens with the wild types — which there is abundant 

 opportunity to do — you will agree with me, I believe, that this 

 theory fully meets the facts of the case. 



Madame Merian's Drawings. 



Before resuming his seat, Mr. Baker said that he had been 



