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CHINESE PRIMULAS. 



By Mr. A. W. Sutton, F.L.S., F.R.H.S. 



[Bead Nov. 11, 1890.] 



The subject which I have been asked to introduce this afternoon 

 cannot be said to be unpopular, and my task is therefore the 

 more agreeable, although, on account of its very popularity, so 

 much has been written and said about the Chinese Primula that 

 little which is new or of sufficient importance to bring to the 

 notice of the Royal Horticultural Society remains for me to 

 say. 



It is, however, a very wide subject, for had I been limited to 

 any one aspect alone, such as the history of the species, its 

 introduction into Europe, the most popular varieties, the best 

 methods of cultivation, cross-fertilisation, &c, &c, enough might 

 have been said to form a lengthy paper, if dealt with at all 

 fully. 



As it is, I propose to say a few words under each of these 

 heads, and if in any degree it serves to create increased interest 

 in the Chinese Primrose I shall be more than satisfied. 



The History of the Chinese Primula. 



This may naturally be considered first, and at the outset it 

 strikes one as a remarkable fact that a plant which, next to the 

 Geranium, is perhaps the most popular for conservatory and 

 window decoration, has only been known in England for the brief 

 space of seventy years ; or, in other words, that there are many 

 Eellows of the Royal Horticultural Society now living during 

 whose early childhood the Chinese Primula had neither been 

 seen nor heard of in this country, or indeed in Europe. 



The genus Primula, representative of the widely distributed 

 family Primulacecz, contains at least 150 species, which number 

 is being constantly added to by newly discovered species and 

 interesting forms, and crosses resulting from the work of our 

 hybridists. 



Name and Synonymy. 



The name " sinensis," by which the species is familiarly 

 known, was given to the plant by Sabine in 1821, who was a few 



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