PRIMULA CONFERENCE. 



131 



Eastern species is not always natural — and this indeed Pax confesses. 

 In writing here of the Chinese species I use Pax's work as a basis — 

 as everyone must do — but make several departures from his sectional 

 groupings, and in some cases differ from him in the matter of identi- 

 fication and synonymy. If I do so it is without suggestion of finality 

 in the conclusions at which I have arrived. These are based upon a 

 little more knowledge of Chinese plants than was possessed by Professor 

 Pax, for it has been my privilege to see not only the types of most of 

 Franchet's and Hemsley's species included in Pax's Monograph, but 

 also the types of species described subsequent to its appearance by 

 Petitmengin, Bonati, and R. Knuth. And here I wish to express 

 my obligation to the Director of Kew, the Director of the Botanical 

 Department of the Jardin des Plantes, Paris, the Director of the 

 Imperial Botanic Garden, Berlin, the Director of the Imperial 

 Botanic Garden, St. Petersburg, and to M. Bonati for the loan 

 or gift of many specimens which have enabled me to acquire a 

 better knowledge of the Chinese species. Apart from the fact that 

 we know only a quota of the Chinese species and fewer of the Himalayan 

 which have phyletic bonds with the Chinese, the obstacles that make 

 difficult the establishing of the true relationships of the forms are want 

 of fruit and seed and of description of habitat, and then the hetero- 

 morphy of the flowers fosters misleading description. I am sufficiently 

 modest to invite criticism and correction of what follows, and at the 

 same time I discount inconsistency when further knowledge, as it must, 

 compels modification of it. 



In the following list I give the names of all the species of Chinese 

 Primula, with their synonymy, that are known to me. If I have 

 retained some names as of the rank of species and have not placed them 

 as synonyms in accordance with comments I make in subsequent 

 pages of this paper, I have been influenced by the feeling that for 

 Horticultural purposes a definite name for a plant form under the rank 

 of species is convenient ; and further, the material which I have had for 

 examination has sufficed often only to suggest without giving adequate 

 data for a decision. 



Chinese Species of Primula, with Synonymy. 



P. albiflos, F.K.Ward. (Sect. Nivalis.) Mekong-Salween Divide. 

 P. ambita, Balf. fil. = obconica microform. 



P. amethystina, Franch. (Sect. Amethystina.) Yunnan : Tali 

 region. 



P. androsacea, Pax = Forbesii microform. 

 P. angustidens, (Franch.) Pax = Wilsoni. 



P. argutidens, Franch. (Sect. Soldanelloides.) Central Szechwan : 

 Tatsienlu. 



P. Barbeyana, Petitm. = Forbesii microform. 

 P. barbicalyx, Wright = obconica microform. 



P. bathangensis, Petitm. (Sect. Malvacea.) W. Szechwan : Batang. 



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