ON THE GENUS PRIMUUE. 275 



The plants are all of humble growth, with oblong broad rough leaves, 

 and low slender stalks, monopetalous, five-parted flowers; some 

 singly, as in the P. vulgaris, and others in clusters, as in the P. Po- 

 lyanthus and Auricula. There are five species of this genus, which 

 I place in the following order; viz. Prim, vulgaris, or common 

 Primrose; P. elatior, or Oxlip; P. veris, or common Cowslip; 

 P. veris elatior, Primrose Polyanthus, or Polyanthus ; P. Auricula, 

 or Auricula, as it is generally called ; all of which I shall treat of 

 separately, both in description and cultivation. 



ON PRIMULA VULGARIS, or COMMON PRIMROSE. 



This delightful little plant has thick and very fibrous roots, 

 crowned by a cluster of large, oblong, indented, rough leaves, and 

 numerous flower-stalks, from about three or four to five or six inches 

 high, each terminated by one flower. It is a very common plant, 

 indigenous to this country, and grows wild in the woods and on the 

 hedge sides. It generally flowers about March and April, and 

 sometimes I have known it to continue till the middle of May, though 

 it generally flowers till the latter end of April. 



The varieties of the common Primrose are — Common Yellow 

 Primrose of the Woods, White, Paper White, Red, Double Yellow, 

 Double White, Double Red, Double Pink, Double Crimson, and 

 Double Lilac; but the most esteemed of these are all the double 

 ones, especially the Double White and Crimson. 



The cultivation of this plant being of so easy a nature, I shall not 

 dwell very long upon it ; but I shall give the compost of Mr. Hogg, 

 in his excellent " Treatise on the Carnation," &c. &c, in which he 

 says — " The Primrose and Polyanthus require a much greater por- 

 tion of sandy loam than the Auricula, a very small quantity of rotten 

 cow-dung, and a little leaf-mould, or heath or peat-earth, mixed with 

 them ; in this they are found to grow extremely well. The Double 

 Paper-white Primrose requires no dung at all ; indeed, dung is 

 hurtful to it." The propagation of the Primrose is by slipping or 

 parting the roots ; and you may get them very abundantly by seed 

 sown in a shady place in autumn or spring; but I prefer spring, 

 because, by the approach of winter, they will get sufficiently strong 

 to be put into the open border, while those sown in the autumn 

 require to be sheltered during the winter. The most proper time of 



