PRIMROSE TRIBE 23s 



2. U. minor (Lesser Bladderwort). Smaller than the last in all 

 its parts ; flowers small, yellow, with a short blunt spur. Similar 

 situations to the last ; rare. Fl. June to August. Perennial. 



3. U. intermedia (Intermediate Bladderwort). Distinguished 

 from U. vulgaris by having the upper lip of the corolla much longer 

 than the lower, and by bearing its air-bladders on branched stalks 

 distinct from the leaves. Rare. Fl. July to September. Per- 

 ennial. 



Natural Order LXII 



PRIMULACE^:. Primrose Tribe 



Calyx 5-cleft, rarely 4-cleft (in Trientalis 7-cleft), regular, not 

 falling off ; corolla of as many lobes as the calyx (in Glaux wanting) ; 

 stamens equalling in number the lobes of the corolla, and opposite 

 to them ; ovary i-celled ; style 1 ; stigma capitate ; capsule 1- 

 celled, opening with valves ; seeds numerous, attached to a central 

 column. Herbaceous plants, mostly of humble growth, inhabiting, 

 principally, the colder regions of the northern hemisphere, and in 

 lower latitudes ascending to the confines of perpetual snow. In 

 this Order are found several of our favourite British plants. 

 The Primrose, as its name indicates (prima rosa, the first rose), is 

 the most welcome harbinger of spring ; the Cowslip is hardly less 

 prized for its pastoral associations than for its elegance and fra- 

 grance ; Pimpernel, or " Poor man's weather-glass," is as trusty a 

 herald of summer weather as the Primrose of spring. Nor is it only 

 as Flowers of the Field that the plants of this tribe are valued. The 

 Polyanthus and Auricula equally grace the cottager's garden, and 

 the collections of the florist ; and several species of Cyclamen are 

 commonly found in conservatories. Some species possess active 

 medicinal properties ; the flowers of Cowslip are made into a plea- 

 sant soporific wine ; and the leaves of the Auricula (Primula 

 auricula) are used in the Alps as a remedy for coughs. The flowers 

 of Pimpernel and roots of Cyclamen are acrid. 



1. Primula (Primrose). Calyx tubular, 5-cleft ; corolla salver- or 

 funnel-shaped, with a long cylindrical tube ; stamens 5, enclosed 

 within the tube of the corolla ; capsule 5-valved, with 10 teeth. 

 (Name from the Latin, primus, first, from the early appearance of 

 the flowers.) 



2. Hottonia (Water Violet). Calyx 5-cleft almost to the base ; 

 corolla salver-shaped, with a short tube ; stamens 5 ; capsule opening 

 with 5 teeth. (Named after Professor Hotton, of Leyden.) 



3. Cyclamen (Sow-bread). Calyx bell-shaped, cleft half-way 

 down into 5 segments ; corolla wheel-shaped, the lobes reflexed ; 

 stamens 5 ; capsule opening with 5 teeth. (Name in the Greek, 

 cyclos, a circle, either from the reflexed lobes of the corolla, or from 

 the spiral form of the fruit-stalks.) 



