P r i m r o s e
PRIMULA. L in n . Gen. P I . P e n t a n d r ia M o n o g y n ia .
Involucr. Umbellulas. Corolla tubus cylindricus: ore patulo.
MONOPETALÖ.
PRIMULA acaulis foliis rugofis, dentatis, fubtus hirfutis ; fcapis unifloris. J a cq . M ifc . A u ß r . p. 158 .
PRIMULA vulgaris foliis dentatis rugofis fcapo fubunifloro, limbo corollas piano. Hudf. F I. A n g l.
ed. 2. p . 83. . . . .
PRIMULA foliis dentatis rugofis pedunculis radiCalibus unifloris, limbo corollärum plano. Kram
Flench. p . 42. •
PRIMULA veris var y acaulis, fcapo nullo. L in n . Sp . P I. p . 2Ö4. Syß. Vegetal), ed. 14. Mu r r. p . 192.
F I. Suec. 171.
PRIMULA fy h e f ir is . Scopoli FI. C am . n. 2Ö4.
PRIMULA foliis hirfutis, rugofis, dentatis ; fcapis unifloris. Haller H iß . n. 60S.
VERBASCULUM fylvarum majus fingulari flore. Bauh. P in . 241.
PRIMULA veris pallido flore humilis. Cluf. H iß . ƒ>. 302;
PRIMULA veris minor. Ger. Herb. 636.
PRIMULA veris vulgaris. P a r k . T h . p . 535. R a ti Syn. p . 284* Common Primrofe. *6
B[X perennis, obliqua, prasmorfa, fquamis craflis
rubentibus a foliis przeteritis reliftis obtefta ;
I ernittens fibras copiofas, praelongas, teretes,
I albidas. Odor fingularis fere anifi.
B lIS nullus. _ . .
■ A fubpalmaria, ere£liufcula, oblongo-ovata, bafi
■ attenuata, obtufa, venofa, rugofa, fupra lasvia,
I fubtus hirfuta, margine parum revoluta, leviter
I undulata, inasqualiter crenata; cofta albida,
K in petiolum canaliculatum carinatum ruben-
I tem definente.
pPUL^E fubunciales, acuminatas, ad bafin pedun-
culonim,
BRES erefti, numerofi, pallide fulphurei, majuf-
I culi, fuaveolentes.
BlJNCULI ereéli, foliis paulo breviorés, uniflori,
H teretes, hirfuti, pallide virentes, ex ipfa
I radice progredientes, poft florefcentiam de-
I flexl.
H X : Perianthium i-phyllum, pérfiftens, ob- 1 longum, tubulofum, plicato-pentagonum,
I pilofum, 5-dentatum, aentibus acuminatis,
I ' apice inflexis, f ig . 1.
BU LLA monopetala, tubulofa; tubus cylindra-
ceus, calyce longior, ftriatus, nitidus, limbus
quinquepartitus, patens, laciniis obcordatis,
emarginatis, bafi macula ftellaeformi flava
notatis; faux obfolete coronata, fig. 2.
BiMINA: Filamenta 5, breviffima, intra tubum
corollas, fig. 4. aut ad faucem ejus pofita,
fig. 3. A nthers ereflas, ©felongas, flavas,
fubtngonte, fig. 5. cdnniventes.
PISTILLUM: Germen fuperum, fubglobofum, gla-
brum, fig. 6. Stylus filiformis, tubo ple-
rumque DreVIor, f ig . 7. Stigma globomm,
ROOT perennial, oblique, flumped at the extremity,
befet with thick reddifli fcales, the remains
of - the paft leaves, fending down numerous,
very long, round, whitifh fibres; its fmell
Angular, fomewhat like that of anife.
STA LK none. > . _
LEAVES about a hand’s breath in length, nearly
upright, oblong-ovate, tapering to the bafe,
blunt, veiny, wrinkled, fmooth above, hirfute
beneath, the edge (lightly rolled back, (lightly
waved, unequally notched, the midrib whitifh,
terminating m a footftalk of a reddifh colour,
hollow on one fide, and keeled on the other.
STlPULAL about an inch in length, long-pointed, at
the bafe of the flower-ftalks.
FLOWERS upright, numerous, of a pale fulphur
colour, rather large and fweet-fcented.
FLOWER-STALKS upright, a little (horter than the
leaves, one-flowered, round, hirfute, of a
pale green colour, proceeding from the root
ltfelf, after the flowering is over, bending
back.
y C A L Y X : a Perianthium of one leaf, permanent,
oblong, tubular, folded, and forming -five
angles, hairy, 5-toothed, teeth long-pointed,
bending in at the tip, fig. 1.
COROLLA monopetalous, tubular ; the tube cylindrical,
longer than the calyx, ftriated, and
glofly ; limb quinquepartite, fpreading, the
legments obcordate, emarginate, marked at
a the bale with a ftar-fhaped yellow fpot, the
X mouth marked with a faint rim, f ig . 2.
| STAMINA: five Filaments, very (hort, placed
6 either within the tube of the corolla, f ig . 4.
or at its mouth, f ig . 3. A n th e r s upright,
2 oblong, fellow, fomewhat three-corner’d,
f f ig . 5. doling together.
I PISTILLUM : G ermen above the bafe of the calyx,
^ nearly globular, fmooth, f ig . 6 . Sty le filia
. form, ufually (horter than the tube, figj 7,
<| Stigma round, fig. 8.
J V imida veris appears to have been a kind o f general, or generic name given by many of the ancient Botanifls
Iljfe Prmrofey Cowfiip, and Oxlip ; yet is moft applicable to the Primrofe, as a flower of the fpring; they
pgardcd thefe plants as fo many diftinft fpecies, ai\d fuch they were in general confidered till L innaeus
H tUrerd t0. ma‘ntain a contrary opinion, an opinion which comparatively (peaking, few of his followers have
■ “'deed in: partial as we are to the tranfeendent merits of that great man, we cannot agree with him in this
Hjice, without deftroying, as we apprehend, all limits of fpecific diftin&ion.
B he moftftriking charafter of the Primrofe confifts in its mode of flowering, each bloflbm growing on a
B | Pjhncle, w^ich fprings from the root I LiNN/EUS aflerts that the peduncles fpring from a fcapUs, as in
L.• though it be fo (hort as not to appear above ground, and froni this circuftiftance principally, he
„ that the Primrofe is only a variety ; or, in other words, that the Primrofe, the Cowfiip, and the Oxlip
r e ^ ^ S u w i p t t i a . 7 7 ’ _ . ; _
irifct0 u0t theexiftence of fuch a ftalk as L innaeus deferibes; in examining a vaft number of thefe
ladtit’ we have found it in a few, but it certainly is not general in the wild plant; We are ready, however, to
jjmilar^v a° the exiftence o f this (hort fcapus ; the plant when cultivated will fometimes throw up a ftalk
y ^ ^ t of the Polyanthus, and of this my very good friend Dr. B uxton, of Greenwich, has favoured
lllrsfi 3 inftanee; Primrofes in their wild ftate introduced to his Garden at Maize-Hill, a few
H ln th ef n°^ Proc*uce flowers, both with and without a fcapus, are indeed become, colour excepted, perfeft
■ unc1 U eS;; in my own garden the white hofe in hofe Primrofe produces early in the fpring, flowets on
IK]. J afterwards flowers on a fcapus; or, to fpeak in the language of the florift, flowers in a trufs,
f e J eyhave the foliage and the flowers of the true Primrofe; the Cowflip and the Oxlip, on the contrary,
■ ^ Pr°duce flowers on peduncles, as well as on a fcapus, of whjch I now have alfo inftances in my garden;
but