On Variation in the Flowers of certain 
Species of Primula. 
BY 
T. G. HILL, A.R.C.S:, 
Demonstrator in Biology at St. Mary's Hospital Medical School , London . 
With a Figure in the Text. 
UCH has been written concerning the Primulaceae, 
1 Vi- which in part is due to the interest taken by botanists 
in the morphological significance of the pistil, the position of 
the stamens, and origin of the petals. As regards abnormal 
flowers, we find that many monstrosities, &c., have been re- 
corded ; thus Masters 1 describes cases of dialysis, meiophylly, 
proliferation, polyphylly, petalody of pistil and stamens, &c. 
It does not appear, however, that any detailed observations 
have been published as to the numerical variations of the 
different floral parts such as have been carried out in other 
natural orders, e. g., Burkill 2 on Stellaria media and other 
plants, and Pledge 3 on Ranunculus repens. 
When this work was commenced some few years ago (1898) 
it was intended to keep under observation for a number of 
years one particular species of the genus gathered from 
1 Masters, Maxwell, Vegetable Teratology. Ray Society, 1869. 
3 Burkill, I. H., On some Variations in the Number of Stamens and Carpels. 
Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot., vol. xxxi, 1895-7. 
3 Pledge, J. H., Numerical Variation of Parts of Ranunculus repens . Nat. Sci., 
vol. x, 1897, p. 323. 
[Annals of Botany, Vol. XVI. No. LX 1 X. June, 1903.] 
