316 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



biennial, when it flowers and fruits profusely. It will live and flower for 

 several years, but for successful cultivation a short life is preferable. It is 

 a most profuse grower in the open air. 



Of P. obtusifolia the Professor writes that it is a fine hardy species, 

 but not very free ; perhaps we have not given it much attention. This 

 occurs in India on grassy hillsides, and where met with is exceedingly 

 plentiful. In Sikkim I found miles of country literally covered with it, 

 and its strong metallic smell was so overpowering that I and most of my 

 party got severe headaches. A little higher we came on a yellow-flowered 

 form of the same plant that had a delicate perfume. 



P. clongata was originally collected by Sir J. D. Hooker. It has 

 since been gathered by Jaffrey, Pantling, and others, at altitudes of 

 11-13,000 feet. Sufficient material has thus come to light to justify its 

 separation from P. obtusifolia. It flowers in June and has the leaves of 

 sikkimensis, but with greatly elongated corolla tubes. The flowers are 

 very delicate, the petals thin, glabrous, and veined. 



A plant that I take to be possibly a form of P. elongata was found by 

 me in Sikkim. It has large pendulous flesh-coloured flow r ers, the petals 

 being thick and woolly in texture. It has the most delicate perfume of 

 any plant I ever came across. It is not as yet named, is but imperfectly 

 represented in herbaria, and may prove a good new species. 



P. Traillii has been mentioned by me already, but I may say a few 

 more words about it. I found it in Upper Kullu in 1894, at altitudes of 

 15-17,000 feet. It was in flower and ripe fruit in October, so I presume 

 it has at least two flowering seasons — spring and autumn. It was found 

 under the shade of large rocks growing in a dry, soft, powdery soil. The 

 leaves were as much as twelve to eighteen inches long, very like those of 

 P. imperialis, but the flowers were pale blue. I regard it as a perfectly 

 good and new species, and have proposed to name it in honour of the Eev. 

 J. Traill of Jaipur. The seed I collected of it was mixed with the only 

 other Primula found in Kullu during that expedition, namely P. involu- 

 crata, on account of the necessity that existed to economise my collecting 

 materials. On the mixed seed reaching Europe it was found that only 

 P. involucrata germinated, and this got talked of as P. Traillii — thus 

 a laugh was turned against me. The botanical specimens that I brought 

 away with me show, however, that I was unfortunate in my seed, but that 

 the plant was a genuine find, and one which cultivators will much 

 appreciate when it is ultimately successfully introduced. 



Its nearest Indian affinity is with P. prolifera, a species found in the 

 Khasia and Naga hills at much lower altitudes (8,000 feet), growing in 

 damp places and producing yellow flowers. But it is much closer to P. 

 jaj)onica, except that in that species the flowers are much larger and 

 dark purple. 



P. prolifera is a delightful low-level species, frequenting water- 

 courses. It has been collected in Sikkim at 12,000 feet. Has been long 

 known to be found in the Khasia hills at 4-6,000 feet, but in 1897 I 

 extended its area to the Naga hills (altitude 7,500 feet). The plant 

 collected by Griffith in Bhutan I believe to be distinct, and closer to P. 

 imperialis than P. prolifera. 



P. Tanneri, King, was another find of mine in Sikkim, which had 



