PLATE XL. 



1. PRIMULA VERIS. 



OXLIP. 



This crciuis conlains plants of the low fibrous-roolcd herbaceous 

 riowery perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Penfandria Monogijnia and ranks 

 in the natural order of Prec'ue. 



The characters are: that the calyx is a many-leaved involucre, 

 many flowered, very small: perianthium one-leafed, tubular, five- 

 cornered, five-toothed, acute, erect, permanent: the corolla mono- 

 petalous: tube cylindrical, the length of the calyx, terminated by a 

 small hemispherical neck: border spreading, half-five-cleft: segments 

 obcordale, cmarginate, obtuse: throat pervious: the stamina have 

 five very short filaments, within the neck of the corolla: anthers 

 acuminate, erect, converging, included: the pislillum is a globular 

 germ: style filiform, the lenglh of the calyx: stigma globular: the 

 pericarpium is a capsule cylindrictil, almost ihe length of the peri- 

 anlh, covered, one-celled, opening with a ten-toolhed top: the seeds 

 numerous, roundish: receptacle ovate-oblong, free. 



The species cullivated are: 1. P. cttli>;aris. Common Primrose; 

 '2. P. p/r///or. Great Cowslip or Oxlip; 3. P. officinalis. Common Cow- 

 slip or l^iiglc; 4. P. fariiiosa, Bird's-eye Prinuosc; 5. P. hmgifolia. 

 Long-leaved Bird's-eye Primrose; 6. P. cortiisoidcs, Cortusa- leaved 

 Primrose; 7. P. margimta. Silver-edged Primrose; 8. P. Auricula, 

 Auricula or Bear's-ear. :,••.. . . . ■ 



The first has a perennial root, growing obliquely, appearing as if 

 bit off at the end, beset with thick reddish scales which are there- 

 mains of past leaves, <$cnding down numerous very Icng round 



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