218 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Primula continued. 



must be carefully administered. A light, airy house, where 

 the plants may be kept near the glass, is best for these 

 Primulas, when in flower, during the winter or spring; 

 and a temperature of from 50deg. to 55deg. is better, at 

 that period, than a higher one. In potting, the plants 

 should be inserted so that their bases just touch the 

 soil when the work is completed; the crowns must not 

 be buried, but, if situated too high, they are always 

 tumbling about afterwards. 



FIG. 270. PRIMULA AURICULA. 



Double varieties of P. sinensis must be propagated 

 by cuttings, but some of the semi-double forms repro- 

 duce themselves from seed. Old plants, after flowering, 

 should be encouraged to start a little growth, when they 

 may be cut up, and each division inserted as a cutting. 

 Some cultivators surround the base of the stems with 

 leaf mould, into which the roots grow, and, when the 

 divisions are made, plants instead of cuttings are already 

 fit for potting off. Double varieties require culture very 

 similar to single ones after they are established, 

 but they will bear a little higher temperature 

 when flowering. 



VARIETIES. Of P. sinensis there are several 

 strains which receive separate names, but, for 

 general purposes, distinct, fimbriated white and 

 red varieties are, if kept separate, sufficient. 

 A greater diversity can, however, be procured 

 by purchasing or saving mixed seeds from good, 

 large, fimbriated flowers. The strain is of great 

 importance, as there are so many inferior ones. 

 All vendors of seed, doubtless, endeavour to 

 supply the best quality ; but varieties degenerate 

 so fast, and all the inferior ones produce seed 

 so freely, that the reputed quality is not 

 always to be relied on. P. s. filicifolia alba, 

 filicifolia rubra, fimbriata alba, and fimbriata 

 rubra, are those most commonly grown; other 

 sub-varieties of fimbriata are : Alba Magnifica, 

 Chiswiok Red, Coccinea, Marginata, Meteor, 

 Scarlet Gem, Village Maid, and Waltham 

 White. Of double varieties, the old Double 

 White is one of the best and most useful winter- 

 flowering plants grown. There are a few double 

 sorts with coloured flowers; they are very 

 useful for cutting, but are not extensively cul- 

 tivated. 



P. acaulis fl ore-pleno (double, stemless). A garden 

 name for P. vulgarit jlore-pleno. 



Primula continued. 



P. Alllonii (Allioni's).* /. mauve, with a white eye, large, about 

 lin. across, either solitary or in twos, on very short peduncles. 

 April. I. obovate or sub-spathulate, when fully developed 

 narrowed into a petiole, slightly and irregularly toothed. All 

 parts of the plant, except corolla and capsule, are densely clothed 

 with a short, glandular pubescence. Mountains north of Mentone. 

 (Fl. Ment. 63.) P. tyrolensis, from the Tyrol, is a geographical 

 form of this species. 



P. altaica (Altaic).* JL mauve or purplish-crimson, with a yellow 

 centre, as large as those of the common Primrose, and numerously 

 produced. Spring. I. obovate, younger ones lanceolate, sinuate- 

 crenate, or nearly entire, obtuse, marked with narrow veins, and 

 slightly mealy, h. Sin. to 5in. Altai, 1819. (P. M. B. xvi. 194.) 



P. amcena (pleasing). A garden synonym of P. cortusoides Sicboldii. 



P. Auricula.* Common Auricula, fl. of various colours, but 

 normally yellow, umbellately disposed on many-flowered stalks ; 

 tube of corolla gradually widening upwards, nearly three times 

 the length of the bell-shaped calyx. Spring. I. oblong-lanceolate 

 or obovate, more or less minutely glandular-toothed, fleshy, 

 glaucous-mealy, h. Sin. European Alps, 1596. A well-known 

 species. See Fig. 270. (B. M. 6837; G. M., Ap. 24, 1886; 

 J. F. A. 415; R. G. 194 and 195.) P. Balbisii is a pretty, 

 yellow-flowered form. P. Goebclii is a natural hybrid, with 

 brownish-violet flowers. For cultivation, varieties, &c., see 

 Auricula. 



P. auriculata (eared).* fl. purplish, with a white eye, five or six 

 in a drooping umbel; corolla tube lin. to liin. long, three 

 times the length of the calyx, the lobes narrower than those of 

 P. farinosa. Early summer. I. oblong or obovate, smooth, 

 slightly crenate, pale but not mealy beneath, h. 4in. Austrian 

 mountains, 1825. A pretty species, closely allied to P. .farinosa, 

 but readily distinguished by its much longer flowers. (B. M. 392, 

 under name of P. longifolia.) 



P. Balbisii (Balbi's). A form of P. Auricula. 



P. Bovcana (Bove's).* Abyssinian Primrose. /. yellow, very 

 numerous, on straight, axillary pedicels ; corolla twice or thrice 

 as long as the calyx, with a slightly-constricted throat. March. 

 1., lower ones rosulate, ovate, unequally argutely toothed ; upper 

 ones whorled, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, sessile, argutely incised- 

 toothed, acuminate, h. bin. Mount Sinai, 1826. Greenhouse. 

 (B. M: 2842, under name of P. verticillata.) 



P. calyclna (calycine).* fl. purple, in short-stalked umbels. 

 May and June. I. numerous, sessile, imbricated, oblong or 

 broadly-lanceolate, acute, entire, with a horny, wavy margin, 

 glossy-green above, glaucous beneath. 1838. Alps of Lombardy. 

 (S. B. F. G. ser. i., t. 254, under name of P. glaucescens.) 



P. Candolleana (De Candolle's). A synonym of P. integrifol a. 



P. capitata (headed).* /. deep violet-blue, in dense, round heads 

 liin. across, and enveloped in a white, mealy powder; scapes 

 from 6in. to 9in. high. April to June. I. oblong, mealy on the 

 under side, sometimes of a golden hue, finely wrinkled and 

 toothed. Himalaya, 1850. One of the tinest species. It makes 



a fine pot-subject, but will not endure a heated greenhouse. It 

 should be grown in a cold frame, with plenty of air, and may be 



FIG. 271. PiuMULA CAri'iAiA, showing Uabit and detached Inflorescence. 



