OBSERVATIONS ON SOME OF THE PLANTS EXHIBITED. 113 



were exhibited. Sir J. D. Hooker gives " S. and E. England" for both 

 species. 



Galanthus Elwesii var. Whittali. — Mr. Barr exhibited a fine variety 

 of this well-known species, originally brought by Mr. Elwes. It differed 

 in the more expanded petal than in the true type, these are somewhat 

 rolled inwards. It was discovered near Smyrna by Mr. W. Whittal, 

 and is apparently a local variety. 



CoLEUS. — The blue flowered species with tall spikes, exhibited by 

 Mr. Veitch, is remarkable for the great length of time it continues to flower, 

 the same individuals exhibited having been shown for the third time, and 

 there were still many flowers to come out. It thus proves itself to be an 

 invaluable plant for conservatories at this season of the year. 



The structure of the flowers is remarkable, for instead of having the 

 stamens and style erect under the hood, as in the Deadnettle of the same 

 family, Labiatce, they lie down along the extended lower lip. A similar 

 contrast may be seen in the two genera of the order Scrophularinece, the 

 Snap-dragon, in which those organs are erect, and Collinsia, where they 

 are horizontal or declinate. 



Thus there is a kind of mimicry between these pairs of flowers ; and 

 the interpretation suggested is, that similar insects have habitually 

 ^■isited the flowers, which have responded to the irritations set up and 

 so constructed flowers somewhat alike, within the limits of the possibilities 

 of their previous structures respectively. It may be added that Coleus 

 and Collinsia both mimic the flower of the pea. 



Primula sinensis. — With regard to this flower it is interesting to 

 see how " taste " reverts ; for when this plant was first introduced into 

 England, about the year 1820, the form familiar to growers had a tall 

 stem producing whorl after whorl of flowers, separated by long internodes. 

 The corollas were about the f:ize of a wild Primrose, or scarcely so large, 

 of a rose-pink colour, and deeply notched. In the Primulas of late 

 decades of the last century the flowering stem is short, with an umbel of 

 flowers, the corollas being large, the petals overlapping and leaving no 

 gaps, while the colours are various and deep, not to mention the double- 

 flowered forms. 



The original form, or something very like it, is now largely grown 

 as " The Lady " by Mr. Cannell, and as " Stellata " by Messrs. Sutton, but 

 it is practically a variety of the originally introduced one, probably long 

 cultivated in China ; because it is very different in size, especially, from 

 the true wild species occurring in the mountains of China. 



Mr. Henslow exhibited an original drawing of P. sinensis made in 

 1820, and a specimen dried in 1827 from a private garden, for com- 

 parison. 



The structure of the flower of all Primroses reveals an anomalous 

 feature. According to the universal law of alternation every whorl 

 should have its parts alternating in position with those of the whorls next 

 to it, so that each petal should stand in front of the interval between 

 two sepals, kc. 



In the Primrose family the five stamens stand in front of the petals, 

 thus breaking through the rule. If, however, one examines the flower of 



I 



