RIMULA CONFERENCE. 



141 



P. saxatilis, Kom., is an Eastern Siberian plant — from the Altai and 

 Alaschan eastwards into Amurland, Mandchuria, and Korea. It has 

 flowers with long pedicels much exceeding the bracts, and is the Eastern 

 representative of P. cortusoides , Linn. Both of them have adpressed 

 calvx segments. P. Sieboldii, E. Morren, is a Japanese plant which 

 is also indigenous in Transbaikalia and is at once diagnosed by its 

 patent calyx segments. No one of these species is Chinese. 



Chinese Species of the Cortusoides Section. 

 Rose pink flowers. 

 P. lichiangensis , G. Forrest (fig. 42) 

 P. polyneura, Franch. 

 P. Veitchii, Duthie (fig. 43) 



Section Obconico-Listeri. 



The forms which come into this section offer a problem worthy 

 of study. We have a microcosm of variation to deal with. The 

 characters of the group are in brief these — non-mealy rosette plants 

 with petiolate rounded to ivy-shaped leaves, more or less hairy, pro- 

 ducing scapes of varying length ending in umbels of lilac to white 

 flowers, the calyx of which does not increase substantially around 

 the fruit. There is a Chinese and a Himalayan representation. The 

 Chinese is typified in P. obconica, Hance, which is in cultivation ; the 

 Himalayan in P. Listen, King, which is not in cultivation. Of the 

 latter we know little, of the former more, but not enough of either. 

 The name Obconico-Listeri is given to the section to emphasize their 

 relationship, which may perhaps prove to be so close as to sanction 

 the section being regarded as an aggregate species — P. obconico-Listeri. 



P. obconica, Hance, was collected in 1879 on the limestone rocks 

 about Ichang, in West Hupeh, by Charles Maries, collector for 

 Messrs. Veitch of Chelsea, and the plant was introduced by them in 

 1882. The advent of this species promised to herald a fine new race of 

 Primulas for the garden, and under cultivation the plant has improved 

 in the direction of larger flowers, larger trusses, and more intense 

 colouring of the corolla. Its progress has been, however, scarcely so 

 great as had been anticipated, and we may assign as a cause of this, 

 its possession of one property which must always be an obstacle to 

 development of a horticultural plant, that of inducing troublesome 

 irritation of the skin in some of those who handle it. 



The characteristics of P. obconica, Hance, in our plant-houses need 

 no description here, and they are all those of the plant from the lime- 

 stone cliffs at Ichang, only upon an exaggerated scale. P. obconica, 

 Hance, is a widespread plant over Western China, and in relation to 

 habitat conditions it shows many variations in the form and stature 

 of all its parts and in their hair-clothing, so much so that several of 

 the forms it assumes have been described as distinct species. Whether 

 these can be maintained as microforms within an aggregate must be 

 determined by comprehensive investigation of many more specimens 



