PRIMULA CONFERENCE. 189 



P. Kingii, and P. obtusifolia. Of these the only new species is P. 

 Griffithii, which is synonymous with P. obtusifolia var. Griffithii, Watt. 

 As previously pointed out, this species in Pax's classification is widely 

 separated from P. Tanner i to which it is undoubtedly closely allied. 

 From the copious material collected in Sikkim by W. W. Smith and 

 G. H. Cave it is quite evident that P. Pantlingii is at most only a 

 form of P. Dickieana. The species occurs locally in wet West Sikkim, 

 and is somewhat variable in the number of flowers (2-6) and in its 

 range of colour (whitish-yellow, yellow, mauve or purple). A short 

 time ago, I saw a plant of P. Inayatii which was under cultivation in 

 Glasnevin. At first, I was somewhat sceptical as to its being this 

 species owing to the absence of the hairs on peduncle and pedicels as 

 described by the author. On examination of the co-types in the Kew 

 herbarium it was found, however, that these so-called hairs were of 

 fungoid origin. From his recent Sikkim collections, W. W. Smith 

 has described a new species — P. Caveana — which is closely allied to 

 P. Jaffreyana from which it may best be distinguished by the non- 

 ribbed calyx. P. obtusifolia would appear to be a much rarer plant 

 than one would suppose from the distribution quoted by Pax and 

 Knuth. The Eastern plant referred by them to this species is 

 probably the P. Gammieana, King, which Watt has already 

 accounted for. 



The constituents of the Cordifoliae are P. reticulata, P. Gambeliana 

 (fig. 95), P. pulchra, and P. cordifolia. The last named, which is un- 

 known to the writer, was described by Pax in 1889 from a plant collected 

 between Tongloo and Phalut by Schlagintweit. Allied to P. 

 reticulata is a Chumbi plant which the writer has not seen and which 

 will be published shortly as P. chumbiensis, W. W. Smith. 



In the section Caxkrienia there is enumerated but one Indian 

 species — P. prolifera — whose distribution is given as East Himalaya 

 and Assam. The Assam plant agrees well with Wallich's original 

 description, but the Chumbi plant, although undoubtedly closely 

 allied, is quite distinct, the best distinguishing points being found in 

 the presence of farina and in the shape of the calyx lobes. This 

 Chumbi plant I propose to call P. Smithiana in compliment to Mr. 

 W. W. Smith, M.A., Assistant Keeper of the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Edinburgh, who, during his tenure of the post of Curator of the 

 Herbarium attached to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, paid 

 particular attention to the Sikkim Primulas during several tours of 

 that district. To this section also belongs P. Whitei, W. W. Smith, 

 recently described from specimens collected in Bhutan by White. 

 Its nearest ally is P. sonchi folia of Yunnan, for which, at a casual 

 glance, it might easily be mistaken. 



Another Bhutan Primula yet remains for which the writer can 

 find no saiisfactory position among Pax's sections : P. Jonarduni, 

 W. W. Smith. A small tufted perennial plant with small densely 

 imbricate and markedly coriaceous leaves which are farinose below, 

 it represents a type not found before in India. 



