PRIMULA CONFERENCE. 



I6 5 



Chinese Species of the Yunnanensis Section. 

 Lilac-purple flowers. 

 P. kuhanensis, Franch. (fig. 70) P. membranifolia, Franch. (fig. 71) 

 P. kialensis, Franch. P. umbrella, G. Forrest (fig. 72) 



P. yunnanensis, Franch. (fig. 73) 



Section Dryadifolia. 



I have not yet satisfied myself regarding the right position of 

 P. dryadifolia, Franch. — one of the finest of Primulas. Franchet 

 suggested that its place was near P. uni flora, Watt. That would 

 bring it into our section Soldanelloides, and Pax adopts Franchet's 

 suggestion. The outward flower-character strongly tempts one to 

 follow this lead, but the habit of the plant is altogether foreign to 

 plants in the Soldanelloid group. The sufiruticose habit takes 

 one to Suffruticosa. There also we find pink flowers. But the 

 leaves in P. dryadifolia, Franch., as well as the secund sessile large 

 drooping flowers, seem to forbid the association. In the circumstances 

 I sit on the fence until study of the living plant gives more data, and 

 I place it here after the group I have just dealt with because we may 

 yet find links indicating a relationship. The opportunity for that, 

 I hope, will soon occur. At Edinburgh we have young plants in their 

 third year of growth. The introduction of the plant we owe to Bees, 

 Ltd., and Forrest. Imagine a plant of Dryas studded over in 

 profusion with clusters of bright rose-coloured flowers girt by dark 

 purple bracts, each cluster standing an inch or two above the 

 cushion of foliage — that is what we shall have when the plant 

 comes into our gardens. 



Chinese Species of the Dryadifolia Section. 

 Rose-coloured flowers. 

 P. dryadifolia, Franch. 



In his section Cankrienia, Pax has brought together a number 

 of species whose affinity with one another is certain, but unfortunately 

 he tacked on to them other species of altogether different relationship 

 and spoiled his section. Here I take the five allied species from his 

 section and, adding others that have become known since Pax wrote, 

 institute for them the section Candelabra. 



Section Candelabra. 



The section is thoroughly natural. All the species are plants of 

 moist meadows, and produce large usually primrose-like leaves in a 

 cluster, from which a tall scape ascends, producing at intervals whorls of 

 stalked flowers before it ends in an umbel. The whole inflorescence 

 is candelabroid. The bract and calyx-characters give diagnostic 

 specific marks. The fruit is uniform — a round capsule enclosed in a 

 slightly accrescent and woody calyx, and more or less marked on the 



