PHIMTTLA STUAETII. 17 



PRIMULA STUARTII. 



Stuart's Primrose. 

 Linnean Class — Fentanduia. Order — Monogynia.. Natural Order— Piumulace.b. 



"Whoever, loves the modest primrose of our shady banks and groves — the flower for 

 •which our affections never grow old — will be ready to welcome another beautiful 

 sister from the far east. 



The Primula Stuartii is remarkable among nearly sixty species for its considerable 

 development ; though perhaps this would hardly be guessed from our meagre figure, 

 and we must therefore endeavour by words to convey an idea of its proportions. 

 The height of the flower stalk is about sixteen inches, and the leaves are mostly 

 from ten to eleven inches long. They are, as in all the species, radical, and are 

 broadly lanceolate, with acute points, smooth and shining above, but covered below 

 with the yellowish mealy powder so characteristic of many species of this genus. 

 The margins of the leaves are closely set with sharp teeth, which are generally 

 curved downwards. The flowers are, as our figure shows, salver-shaped, with a tube 

 twice as long as the calyx ; this tube is narrow about the middle, and then expands 

 in a somewhat campanulate manner near its union with the limb, where it is again 

 contracted ; the limb, or expanded portion of the flower, is of an orange tint towards 

 the centre, as in the case of the common Primrose. The calyces, as well as the 

 upper half of the flower-scape, are covered with the pale sulphur-yellow farina found 

 ou the leaves. 



This fine Primrose is a native of Northern India, where it has been found, both 

 in Nepal and in the Himalaya, at an elevation of 9,000 feet, and, according to 

 Eoyle, it communicates a rich yellow glow to those regions. It was introduced in 

 1845, by seeds from Major Grant of the 9th Lancers, and proves to be perfectly 

 hardy, having stood several winters without any artificial covering, even so far 

 north as Edinburgh. It requires, however, bike most of the species, to be planted 

 in a cool border, where it can be preserved from the effects of drought in summer; 

 and with this hint, we might safely leave the plant in the hands of the amateur. 

 Put in treating of a genus which contains so many species exclusively natives of 

 mountainous, and often, snow-clad regions, a glance at the conditions in which 

 such plants must necessarily exist, may not be without interest, and may serve as a 

 guide to the successful treatment of Alpine plants in general. 



It is hardly necessary to observe, that the elevation at which they mostly occur, 

 secures to them a comparatively low temperature, even during the warmest part of 

 the year. The snow with which they are often covered during the winter months, 



