Primula

Primula
Primula vulgaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Primulaceae
Genus:	Primula L.
Species
many; see text

A modern garden primula cultivar

Primula capitata ssp. mooreana

Primula denticulata

Primula farinosa

Primula hortensis

Primula prolifera

Primula rosea

Primula sieboldii

Primula veris

Primula vialii

Primula × pubescens

Primula /ˈprɪmjʊlə/^[1] is a genus of mainly herbaceous^[2] flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They include the familiar wildflower of banks and verges, the primrose (P. vulgaris). Other common species are P. auricula (auricula), P. veris (cowslip) and P. elatior (oxlip). These species and many others are valued for their ornamental flowers. They have been extensively cultivated and hybridised - in the case of the primrose, for many hundreds of years. Primula are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, south into tropical mountains in Ethiopia, Indonesia and New Guinea, and in temperate southern South America. Almost half of the known species are from the Himalayas.^[2]

Primula has about 500 species in traditional treatments, and more if certain related genera are included within its circumscription.^[3]

Description

Primula is a complex and varied genus, with a range of habitats from alpine slopes to boggy meadows. Plants bloom mostly during the spring, with flowers often appearing in spherical umbels on stout stems arising from basal rosettes of leaves; their flowers can be purple, yellow, red, pink, blue, or white. Some species show a white mealy bloom (farina) on various parts of the plant.^[2] Many species are adapted to alpine climates.

Etymology

The word primula is the Latin feminine diminutive of primus, meaning first (prime), applied to flowers that are among the first to open in spring.^[4]

Ecology

Primroses are used as food plants by the larvae (caterpillars) of some Lepidoptera species, including Duke of Burgundy butterfly, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Silver-ground Carpet.

Garden hybrids and cultivars

Primula species have been extensively cultivated and hybridised, mainly derived from P. elatior, P. juliae, P. veris and P. vulgaris. Polyanthus (often called P. polyantha) is one such group of plants, which has produced a large variety of strains in all colours, usually grown as annuals, and available as seeds or young plants.^[5]

The following hybrid varieties and cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:

Crescendo Series 'Crescendo Blue Shades'[6] 'Crescendo Bright Red'[7] 'Crescendo Golden'[8] 'Crescendo Pink and Rose Shades'[9]             Danova Series[10] 'Danova Purple, White Edge'[11] 'Danova Rose'[12]

'Guinevere'[13] Rainbow Series 'Rainbow Blue shades'[14] 'Rainbow Cream Shades'[15] 'Rainbow Scarlet Shades'[16] 'Wanda'[17]

Classification

The genus Dodecatheon originated from within Primula, so some authorities include the 14 species of Dodecatheon in Primula.^[18]

Sections of genus Primula

The classification of the genus Primula has been investigated by botanists for over a century. As the genus is both large and diverse (with about 500 species), botanists have organized the species in various sub-generic groups. The most common is division into a series of thirty sections.^[19][20] Some of these sections (e.g. Vernales, Auricula) contain many species; others contain only one.

Amethystina       Auricula Bullatae Candelabra Capitatae Carolinella Cortusoides Cuneifolia Denticulata Dryadifolia

Farinosae Floribundae Grandis Malacoidea Malvacea Minutissimae       Muscaroides Nivales Obconica Parryi

Petiolares Pinnatae Pycnoloba Reinii Rotundifolia Sikkimensis Sinenses Soldanelloideae Souliei Vernales

Selected species

Species include:^[21][22][23]

Primula alcalina (bluedome primrose) Primula algida Primula aliciae Primula allionii (Allioni's primrose) Primula alpicola (moonlight primrose) Primula amethystina Primula angustifolia (alpine primrose) Primula anisodora (anise primrose) Primula anvilensis (boreal primrose) Primula appenina Primula arunachalensis[24] Primula atrodentata Primula aurantiaca (primevère à fleurs oranges) Primula aureata Primula auricula (auricula, bear's ear) Primula auriculata Primula bathangensis Primula beesiana (candelabra primrose) Primula bella Primula bellidifolia Primula bergenioides[25] Primula blattariformis Primula boothii Primula borealis (northern primrose) Primula bracteosa Primula bulleyana (candelabra primrose) Primula calderiana Primula calliantha Primula calyptrata[26] Primula capillaris (Ruby Mountain primrose) Primula capitata Primula capitata ssp. mooreana Primula capitellata Primula carniolica[27] (Carniolan primrose) Primula caveana Primula cawdoriana Primula cernua Primula chionantha Primula chungensis Primula clarkei Primula clusiana Primula clutterbuckii Primula cockburniana Primula concholoba Primula concinna Primula conspersa Primula cortusoides Primula cuneifolia (wedgeleaf primrose, pixie-eye primrose) Primula cusickiana (Cusick's primrose) Primula daonensis Primula darialica Primula davidii Primula deflexa Primula denticulata (drumstick primrose, Himalayan primrose) Primula deorum (Rila primrose, Rila cowslip, God's cowslip) Primula dryadifolia Primula edgeworthii Primula egaliksensis (Greenland primrose) Primula elatior (oxlip, true oxlip, oxslip) Primula elizabethiae Primula elongata Primula erythrocarpa Primula farinosa (birdseye primrose) Primula farreriana Primula fedschenkoi Primula fenghwaiana[28] Primula filchnerae Primula firmipes Primula fistulosa Primula flaccida Primula floribunda Primula florindae (Himalayan cowslip, Tibetan cowslip) Primula forrestii Primula frondosa Primula gambeliana Primula gemmifera Primula geraniifolia Primula giraldiana Primula glabra Primula glaucescens Primula glomerata Primula gracilenta Primula gracillipes Primula griffithii Primula halleri (long-flowered primrose, Haller's primrose) Primula heucherifolia Primula hirsuta (stinking primrose) Primula hookeri Primula incana (silvery primrose, mealy primrose) Primula interjacens Primula involucrata Primula ioessa Primula irregularis Primula japonica (Japanese primrose, Japanese cowslip) Primula jesoana

Primula juliae (Julia's primrose, purple primrose) Primula kingii Primula kisoana Primula kitaibeliana (Kitaibel's primrose) Primula klattii Primula laurentiana (birdseye primrose) Primula lihengiana[29] Primula longiscapa Primula lutea Primula luteola Primula macrophylla (largeleaf primrose) Primula magellanica Primula malacoides (fairy primrose, baby primrose) Primula malvacea Primula marginata (marginate primrose) Primula megaseifolia Primula melanantha[30] Primula melanops Primula minima (dwarf primrose) Primula minor Primula mistassinica (Mistassini primrose) Primula modesta Primula mollis Primula moupinensis[31] Primula muscarioides Primula nipponica Primula nivalis (snowy primrose) Primula obconica (poison primrose, German primrose) Primula orbicularis Primula palinuri[32] Primula parryi (Parry's primrose) Primula pedemontana Primula petelotii[28] Primula petiolaris Primula pinnatifida Primula poissonii Primula polyneura Primula prenantha Primula prolifera (glory-of-the-marsh) Primula pulchella Primula pulverulenta (mealy cowslip) Primula pumila (arctic primrose) Primula reidii Primula reinii Primula renifolia Primula reptans Primula reticulata Primula rockii Primula rosea (Himalayan meadow primrose) Primula rotundifolia Primula rusbyi (Rusby's primrose) Primula sapphirina Primula saxatilis (rock primrose) Primula scandinavica[33] (Scandinavian primrose) Primula scapigera Primula scotica (Scottish primrose) Primula secundiflora Primula septemloba Primula serratifolia Primula sieboldii (Japanese primrose) Primula sikkimensis (Sikkim cowslip) Primula sinensis (syn. P. praenitens) Primula sinolisteri Primula sinomollis Primula soldanelloides Primula sonchifolia Primula souliei Primula spectabilis[34] Primula specuicola (alcove primrose, cave-dwelling primrose) Primula stricta (coastal primrose, strict primrose) Primula suffrutescens (Sierra primrose) Primula szechuanica Primula takedana Primula tanneri Primula tardiflora[35] Primula tenuituba[25] Primula tibetica Primula tschuktschorum (Chukchi primrose) Primula tyrolensis Primula valentiniana Primula veris (cowslip) Primula verticillata[36] (yellow primrose) Primula vialii (wayside primrose, pagoda primrose, orchid primrose, poker primrose) Primula villosa Primula vulgaris (primrose) Primula waltonii Primula watsonii Primula warshenewskiana Primula whitei Primula wilsonii Primula wollastonii (Wollaston's primrose) Primula wulfeniana (Wulfen's primrose) Primula yunnanensis Primula yuparensis

Hybrids

• Primula × kewensis = P. floribunda × P. verticillata (Kew primrose)^[36]
• Primula × polyantha = P. veris × P. vulgaris (false oxlip, polyanthus primula)^[37]
• Primula × pubescens = P. hirsuta × P. auricula

References

1. Sunset Western Garden Book. 1995. 606–607.
2. RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
3. Primula. Flora of North America.
4. Coombes, Allen J. (2012). The A to Z of Plant Names. USA: Timber Press. p. 312. ISBN 9781604691962.
5. Reader's Digest Encyclopedia of Garden Plants & Flowers, 2nd edition. United Kingdom: Reader's Digest Association. 1978.
6. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Crescendo Blue Shades'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
7. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Crescendo Bright Red'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
8. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Crescendo Golden'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
9. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Crescendo Pink and Rose Shades'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
10. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula Danova Series". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
11. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Danova Purple, White Edge'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
12. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Danova Rose'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
13. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Guinevere'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
14. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Rainbow Blue shades'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
15. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Rainbow Cream Shades'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
16. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Rainbow Scarlet Shades'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
17. "RHS Plant Selector - Primula 'Wanda'". Retrieved 27 June 2013.
18. Weakley, A. S. (2008). "Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and Surrounding Areas". UNC Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
19. Ingwersen, Will (1986) [1978]. Ingwersen's Manual of Alpine Plants. Portland: Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-026-6.
20. Green, Roy (1986) [1976]. Asiatic Primulas. Woking, Surrey, UK: Alpine Garden Society.
21. Primula: List of Records. Flora of China.
22. Primula: List of Records. Flora of North America.
23. GRIN Species Records of Primula. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
24. Basak, S. K. and G. G. Maiti. 2000. Primula arunachalensis sp. nov. (Primulaceae) from the Eastern Himalaya. Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 51(1) 11-15.
25. Ming, H. C. and G. Y. Ying. (2003). Two new species of Primula (Primulaceae) from China. Novon 13 196-199.
26. Xun, G. and F. Rhui-cheng. (2003). Primula calyptrata, a new species in section Carolinella (Primulaceae) from Yunnan, China. Novon 13 193-95.
27. Jogan, N. 2011. Primula carniolica. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. Downloaded on 9 July 2013.
28. Hu, C. M. and G. Hao. (2011). New and noteworthy species of Primula (Primulaceae) from China. Edinburgh Journal of Botany 68(2) 297.
29. Li, R. and C. M. Hu. (2009). Primula lihengiana (Primulaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Annales Botanici Fennici 46(2) 130-32
30. Rankin, D. W. (2012). Primula melanantha. Curtis's Botanical Magazine 29(1) 18-33.
31. Rix, M. (2005). Primula moupinensis. Curtis's Botanical Magazine 22(2) 119-23.
32. Gangale, C., et al. 2011. Primula palinuri. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. Downloaded on 9 July 2013.
33. Ericsson, S. & M. Bilz. 2011. Primula scandinavica. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. Downloaded on 9 July 2013.
34. Lasen, C., et al. 2011. Primula spectabilis. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. Downloaded on 9 July 2013.
35. Chi-Ming, H. (1994). New taxa and combinations in Chinese Primulaceae. Novon 4(2) 103-105.
36. Primula verticillata (yellow primrose). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
37. Primula × polyantha. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

External links

Data related to Primula at Wikispecies

• Armeniapedia: Medicinal Uses of Primula
• American Primrose Society