PRIMULA CONFERENCE. 



169 



P. officinalis (Linn.) Hill. (Sect. Vernalis). In its microforms: — 



P. Columnae, Ten. Pontus. Cult. 



P. macrocalyx, Bunge. Songaria to Armenia. Cult. 

 P. Olgae, Regel. (Sect. Auriculata.) Caucasus. 

 P. ossetica, Kusnetzow. (sect. Farinosa.) Caucasus. 

 P. Pallasii, Lehm. = elatior microform. 

 P. pseudoelatior = elatior microform. 

 P. pumila = nivalis microform. 



P. Ruprechtii, Kusnetzow. (Sect. Vernalis.) Caucasus. 



P. saxatilis, Komarov. (Sect. Cortusoides.) Korea to Altai. Cult. 



P. sibirica, J acq. (Sect. Farinosa.) Central Asia to Kansu, 



Himalaya, Altai, Dahuria. 

 P. Sibthorpii, Hoffmannsegg = acaulis microform. 

 P. Sieboldii, E. Morren. (Sect. Cortusoides.) Transbaikalia to 



Japan. Cult. Introd. 1861, Veitch. Coll. J. G. Veitch. 

 P. turkestanica, Regel = nivalis microform. 



P. verticillata, Forsk. (Sect. Verticillata.) South Arabia. Cult. 

 Microform : — 



P. Boveana, Decne. Sinai. Cult. 



The distribution in sections is : — 



Section Cortusoides. 



The Cortusoides section has its chief development in Northern 

 Asia. When writing of the Chinese species the distribution of P. 

 cortusoides, Linn., P. saxatilis, Kom., and P. Sieboldii, E. Morren, 

 the three chief species of the section, was mentioned. One only has 

 to be added — P. Kaufmanniana, Regel — a Turkestan species. All 

 are in cultivation. True P. cortusoides, Linn., is rare nowadays, at 

 least I find it so. All the plants that have come in my way are of 

 P. saxatilis, Kom. In cultivation the readily recognized diagnostic 

 mark — very short pedicels in P. cortusoides, Linn., very long pedicels 

 in P. saxatilis, Kom. — is a valid one. Possibly P. saxatilis, Kom., 

 ought to be regarded as a microform of P. cortusoides, Linn., carrying 

 its area of spread right across North Asia. 



The readiest technical character by which to tell P. Sieboldii, E. 

 Morren, from these two species is the spreading calyx-segments on a 

 narrow calyx-tube. In P. cortusoides, Linn., and P. saxatilis, Kom., 

 the tube is broader at base and the segments are erect. P. Kauf- 

 manniana, Regel, although its short-pedicelled flowers recall P. 

 cortusoides, Linn., is readily distinguished by its more rounded leaves 

 with incised lobes. 



P. cortusoides, Linn., is said to have come into cultivation in 1794 — 

 following P. nivalis, Pallas, as the third extra-European species intro- 

 duced, whilst it was the first extra-European species described. 

 P. Sieboldii, E. Morren, was brought in by Messrs. Veitch through 

 Mr. J. G. Veitch in 1861. Of P. Kaufmanniana, Regel, I have no 

 history. We have grown it at Edinburgh since 1905 from seed obtained 

 from a collection of plants made by N. D. Socalskt. P. saxatilis, 



