PRIMULA CONFERENCE. 



153 



Chinese species— P. penduliflora, Franch., and P. nutans, Franch. — 

 neither of them yet in cultivation, unfortunately, for they are beautiful 

 plants. The enlargement of the corolla carries with it necessity for 

 more room, and the flowers in the inflorescence are therefore fewer 

 in number and frequently reduced to one. 



The best known members of the section are Himalayan. Here 

 belong those prizes of cultivation P. sapphirina, Hook, fil., P. Reidii, 

 Duthie, P. uniflora, Klatt, and P. Watti, King; and when we have 

 P. soldanelloides , Watt, we shall have the whole of the described 

 Himalayan species. 



Of the Chinese species one only has been in cultivation — P. 

 spicata, Franch. I say 'has been.' It is monocarpic, and, failing to 

 set seed in the first year of its introduction; its life in cultivation 

 was but a shadow. It is, I think, the most beautiful Primula 

 I have seen — azure-blue flowers softened with silver meal. It 

 differs from all other species in the separation of the flowers in an 

 open spike. Bees, Ltd., introduced it to cultivation from seed 

 collected by Forrest. I'hope that either Forrest or Kingdon Ward 

 will be able to re-introduce this lovely form. P. incisa, Franch., 

 has much-cut leaves after the fashion of the Bella section. P. 

 argutidens, Franch., and P. Faberi, Oliv., are other members and 

 have leaves with a distinctive horny margin. P. Faberi, Oliv., has 

 yellow flowers. In this section, as in others, we have the Himalayan 

 and Chinese connexion shown. Further acquaintance with Chinese 

 Primulas will probably compel revision of the section as outlined 

 here. P. spicata, Franch., is the typical form. P. nutans, Franch., 

 and P. penduliflora, Franch., ought perhaps to be an independent 

 section. P. argutidens, Franch., and P. Faberi, Oliv., also differ 

 from the type in their foliage, as does P. incisa, Franch. 



Chinese Species of the Soldanelloid Section. 

 Lilac-purple-blue flowers. Yellow flowers. 



P. argutidens, Franch. P. Faberi, Oliv. 



P. incisa, Franch. 

 P. nutans, Franch. 

 P. penduliflora, Franch. 

 P. spicata, Franch. (fig. 58) 



Section Amethystina. 



The species of the Soldanelloid section have the sessile flowers 

 of the Muscarioid section with but a slight attempt at pedicels. 

 Section Amethystina shows us species with drooping flowers of the 

 Soldanelloid type on pedicels longer or shorter. The leaves have a 

 horny margin. This is their characteristic. They are as beautiful 

 as the Soldanelloids. No one of them is in cultivation. The transi- 

 tion from Soldanelloides is through two delicate species of apparently 

 high altitudes— P. Fargesii, Franch., and P. silaensis, Petitm., in 

 which perhaps we get a closer similarity to the form of Soldanella 



