274 PRIMROSE FAMILY. 



2. PRIMULA, PRIMROSE, COWSLIP, etc. (Name from primus, 

 spring, from the flowering time of true Primrose.) J Two small 

 species are scarce along our northern borders (see Manual) ; the fol- 

 lowing are the common ones cult, for ornament. 



* Calyx large and loose, either much inflated or shallow-cup-shaped. 



P. Sinens/s, Sabine. CHINESE PRIMROSE. A downy plant, with often 

 proliferous umbels of large and showy flowers, purple, rose, or white, 

 sometimes double, in one variety cut-fringed ; tender house plant, with 

 inflated conical calyx, and round heart-shaped 7-9-lobed and variously 

 cut or even crisped leaves. 



P. obcdnica, Hance. A pretty pot plant, with leaves all radical and 

 ovate-cordate (the sharp hairs irritating-poisonous to some people), 

 and slender scapes 6'-12' ; flowers blush-lilac or purple, often drooping, 

 the obconical petals deeply notched, the tube twice longer than the almost 

 saucer-shaped green and shallow calyx. China. 



* * Calyx ordinary, neither truly inflated (but often loose} nor shallow- 

 spreading. 



*- Hardy, or nearly so, from Eu., with large tubular or oblong-bell- 

 shaped angled calyx about as long as the corolla tube, and wrin- 

 kled-veiny, oblong-cordate, or spatulate leaves tapering into short 

 wing-margined petioles ; flowers naturally yellow, in spring. 



P. grand/flora, Lam. (or P. VULGARIS and P. ACAULIS). TRUE PRIM- 

 ROSE, has leaves somewhat hairy beneath, and the large flowers rising on 

 slender pedicels from their axils, the proper scapes not developed ; corolla 

 flat, sulphur-yellow. 



P. officinal is, Jacq. (or P. VERIS). ENGLISH COWSLIP. Somewhat 

 pubescent with minute, pale down, scapes bearing the umbels above the 

 leaves, much smaller flowers of deeper color, and the limb of corolla 

 rather concave or cup-like, the throat commonly orange. The sorts of 

 POLYANTHUS are cultivated varieties, with flowers enlarged, of various 

 colors, or party-colored, often more or less double. 



*- - Hardy or half hardy, with small calyx shorter than the tube of the 

 corolla, and smaller leaves. 



M. Leaves cordate-ovate, hairy. 



P. cortusoldes, Linn. Leaves soft, with doubly dentate margins ; 

 scapes tall (8'-15 ; ) and hairy, bearing an umbel of deep rose-colored 

 flowers on slender pedicels 1' or 2' long, the flowers Phlox-like, with 

 broadly obcordate petals. Russia to Japan. 



-* -t-f Leaves oblong or obovate, not hairy. 



P. denticulata, Smith. Low, with a cluster of radical tongue-shaped or 

 spatulate denticulate or nearly entire leaves, and a capitate cluster of 

 small, bright lilac flowers, the narrow petals deeply notched. China and 

 India. 



P. Auricula, Linn. AURICULA. Of S. Eu. ; low, with sessile leaves, 

 and scape bearing a few fragrant flowers, these pale yellow, with varie- 

 ties white, purple, or of various hues, sometimes full double, and smooth 

 and thick obovate leaves, mostly covered with some fine mealiness ; petals 

 broad, obcordate. Well-known garden plant, scarcely hardy N. 



3. DODECATHEON. (Fanciful name, from Greek for twelve gods.} H 



D. Me^dia, Linn. SHOOTING STAR, AMERICAN COWSLIP. In rich 

 open woods from Penn., S., and especially W., and cult, for ornament; 



