PRIMULA ACAU'LIS; 



Flore pleno rubra, et tiore pleno alba. 



PRIMROSE; 



Double Crimson, and Double White. 

 Class. Order. 



PENTANDR1A. MONOGYNIA. 



Natural Order. 



PRIMULACEJE. 



No. 60. 



This plant has received its name from the Latin 

 primus, first, on account of its early flowering; 

 though not quite correctly, for we have aconites, 

 snowdrops, and crocuses, before the delicate primrose 

 dares to unfold its beautiful petals. Acaulis, from 

 the Greek, stemless. 



The beautiful varieties of primroses which inhabit 

 our gardens, whether crimson, lilac, or white, double 

 or single, are alike included under one species. In- 

 deed, much difficulty has arisen respecting the origin, 

 and consequently, the proper specific division, of 

 several of the primula tribe. Linneus considers the 

 primrose, the cowslip, and oxlip, originally but one 

 distinct species, and several reasons may be ad- 

 vanced in support of this theory ; yet still the par- 

 tially distinct characters of the primrose and cowslip 

 should incline us now to separate them, whatever 

 may have been their origin. We certainly have 

 seen flowers of the primrose supported on a scape or 

 stalk, and thus approach the oxlip ; whilst the cow- 

 slip, when brought into cultivation, will have its 

 flowers enlarged, and thus also incline towards the 

 oxlip. Hence a tendency is shown, in the two ex- 



