PLATE XL. 



1. PRIMULA VERIS. 



QXL1P. 



THIS genus contains plants of the low fibrous-rooted herbaceous 

 flowery perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Pentandria Monogynia and ranks 

 in the natural order of Precis. 



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

 many flowered, very small: perianth! um 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 

 obcordate, emarginate, obtuse: throat pervious: the stamina have 

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

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

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

 pericarpium is a capsule cylindrical, almost the length of the peri- 

 anth, covered, one-celled, opening with a ten-toothed top: the seeds 

 numerous, roundish: receptacle ovate-oblong, free. 



The species cultivated are: 1. P. vulgaris, Common Primrose; 

 2. P. elatior, Great Cowslip or Oxlip; 3<-P. qfflcinalis, Common Cow- 

 slip or Paigle; 4. P. farinosa, Bird's-eye Primrose; 5. P. longifolia, 

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

 Primrose; 7. P. marginata, 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 arc the re- 

 mains of past leaves, sending down numerous very long round 



