PRIMROSE. 53 



The medicinal properties of the Primrose being 

 the same as that of the Cowslip, but of a weaker 

 quality, Ave shall notice them under the head of 

 the latter plant, and proceed to that beautiful and 

 varied kind of Primrose so much esteemed in the 

 gardens of florists under the name of 



POLYANTHOS. 



Polyanthos of unnumber'd dyes. 



Thomson. 



This beautiful variety of Primula derives its name 

 from the Greek words ttoXus, many or much, and 

 txvQos, a flower, as the Polyanthos, like the Auricula, 

 produces an umbel of many flowers on one common 

 scape or stem, and on this account we consider it 

 to be rather a variety of the Primula elatior, 

 Oxlip, than that of the common Primrose, although 

 Linnaeus asserts that the peduncles in the common 

 Primrose spring from a scape, which being so 

 short is concealed among the leaves. Amongst a 

 number of wild Primroses that were planted in Dr. 

 Buxton's garden, at Maize Hill, near Greenwich, 

 some of them produced flowers with a scape, and 

 were thus transformed into Polyanthoses, retaining 

 the colour of the Field Primrose. 



The author has been a frequent planter of this 



