XXXI 



ON THE PRIMULAS AURICULAS, OXLIPS, 

 POLYANTHUSES, AND PRIMROSES 



NATIVES and exotics alike, the different species of the 

 Primula genus hold our affections in sure bonds. Does 

 not the very name appeal to us Primula, horn primus, 

 the first, in allusion to the early flowering of the plants ? 

 They are the harbingers of Nature's year, and in the 

 meadow and woodland, as well as in the rockery and 

 garden border, their pretty blossoms fill us with pleasure 

 and hope. 



Auricula, Cowslip, Oxlip, Polyanthus, Primrose 

 all are Primulas. Botanically the Auricula is Primula 

 auricula, the Cowslip Primula officinalis (or verzs), the 

 Oxlip Primula elatior, and the Primrose Primula vulgaris 

 (or acaulis). The Polyanthus is a hybrid between the 

 Primrose and the Cowslip. All except the Auricula are 

 natives, and that is an Alpine plant, although it has been 

 grown in British gardens for more than three hundred 

 years. The type is illustrated in the Botanical Magazine, 

 t. 6837. 



It is scarcely necessary to say that these popular 

 Primroses are hardy. Not merely do they withstand the 

 cold as cheerfully as an Oak, but they retain their leaves 

 through the winter, and take every opportunity afforded 

 by mild spells to grow and flower. They play a sort of 

 cat-and-mouse game with Jack Frost, darting into growth 



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