PRIMULA CONFERENCE. 



155 



are readily seen. The seed of P. sphaerocephala, Balf. fil.j was collected 

 by Forrest for Bees, Ltd., who introduced the plant in 1908. 



A second species of this section in Yunnan is P. pseudoeapltata, 

 F. K. Ward. Its description is not yet published. Kingdon Ward 

 collected seed, some of which was presented to us by Bees, Ltd. 

 Plants raised from this in the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, 

 flowered in 1912. It has purple flowers in smaller trusses than in 

 P. capitata, Hook. 



There are other forms in China, but they, like the Indian ones, 

 have still to be investigated. 



Chinese Species of the Sphaerocephala Section. 

 Purple-bine flowers. 

 P. pseudocapitata, F. K. Ward. 

 P. sphaerocephala, Balf. fil. 



Section Denticulata. 



In this series the flowers of the truss are on distinct pedicels of 

 varying length. They get room, therefore, for expansion and are 

 quite regular. 



The Indian P. denticulata, Smith, was introduced to cultivation 

 by Messrs. Veitch in 1842. It has been recorded as a Chinese plant 

 — as growing at Mengtsz — but I have not seen specimens and am 

 disposed to doubt the identification. The type is otherwise well 

 developed in China, and I have specimens of some three or four plants 

 that are perhaps new species of this section which await critical 

 investigation. Of already described forms P. pseudodenticulata, 

 Pax, is in cultivation, an early flowerer even before the Indian 

 P. denticulata, Smith, but of little value for horticulture. It was 

 introduced by Bees, Ltd., in 1908, seed having been collected by 

 Forrest. P. efarinosa, Pax, seems to find its place here. It is said 

 to be in cultivation but I have not seen it. P. polyphylla (Franch.) 

 Petitm., is a remarkable plant, not yet in cultivation, which 

 has a copious rosette of leaves and truss of flowers with auriculate 

 bracts after the fashion of P. auriculata, Lam., with which it was at 

 first confused. P. nessensis, G. Forrest, another of the introductions 

 of Bees, Ltd., in 191 1 from seed collected by Forrest, is a bright 

 species with pink flowers, of considerable merit both for the outside 

 garden and for greenhouse cultivation. 



Chinese Species of the Denticulata Section. 

 Purple flowers. 



P. denticulata, Sm. (fig. 59) P. nessensis, G. Forrest (fig. 60) 

 P. efarinosa, Pax P. polyphylla (Franch.) Petitm. 



P. pseudodenticulata, Pax 



The section Farinosae as now constituted by Pax contains the 

 two sections Farinosae and Auriculatae of his earlier publication. 

 I propose to revert to the old division. 



