PRIMULA 



625, G71. P.R. 4:29. -The Chinese Primrose is now ex- 

 ceedingly variable. There are double-Hd. forms of vari- 

 ous shapes and colors and of various degrees of dou- 

 bling. For pictures of various double and half-double 

 forms, see K.H. 1867:250, 330. P.S. 20:2145. I.H. 

 31:512; 35:42; 38:120. The normal form of this Prim- 

 rose has a somewhat flat-topped flower-cluster, but 

 there are forms with pyramidal and elongated clusters. 

 Var.stelia.ta (P. stelldta, Hort.) is a form with hand- 

 some star-like long-stemmed fls. in successive whorls or 

 tiers in a long open cluster: recent. Gn. 53, p. 229; 

 57, p. 52. A.G. 18:201; 20:384-5. A.F. 12:605. Gng. 

 5:107. Pretty. Primula Siiiensis was introduced into 

 England from Chinese gardens in 1820. but it was not 

 until 1879 that the original wil.l f..nii « a^ known to bota- 

 nists. For accounts and pi.'tui-. ~ ••( tlii~ wild Primrose 

 as grown in English garden^, ^-r r^xa\ hv Sutton in 

 Journ. Royal Hort. Soc. U:'M i isiu ,, (i.c! 111. 5:115; 

 8:564; 9:209; 11:13 (figure reproduced in A.IJ. 13:245). 

 Gn. 49:1058. B.M. 7559. The native color of the Chi- 

 nese Primrose seems to be on the order of pink, but 

 there are many colors in the cult, forms, — from pure 

 white to red. There are now crested or fringed forms 

 (var. fimbriita, Hort.), and those with a frill or extra 

 coroUa projecting from the throat (Fig. 1952). Gt. 

 43:1402; 45:1432; 46, p. 192. The Ivs. are variable in 

 shape and depth of lobing. Some forms have crisped 

 leaves (var. filicifdlia, Hort.). The improvement of P. 

 Sinensis has taken place without the influence of hy- 

 bridization with other species. 



BB. Lvs. scalloped or sinuate, not lobed. 

 8. obcdnica, Hance (P. poculifdrmis, Hook.). Fig. 

 1953. Slender, with loose-hairy leaves (the sharp hairs 

 often irritating-poisonous): lvs. all radical, ovate-ob- 

 long or round-oblong, long-petioled, scallop-toothed and 

 vervflnelv serrate: scapes many, 

 4-10 in. tall: fls. small, lilac or 

 light purple, several to many in 

 umbels, on long -spreading or 

 somewhat drooping pedicels, the 

 segments obcordate; calyx wide 

 open and shallow-toothed. China. 

 B.M. 6582. Gn. 26:456 and p. 

 206; 29, p. 241; 51, p. 317. G.C. 

 111. 9:401 (house). Gt. 43, p. 1.38. 

 F.R. 1:941. -Of late years this 

 species has become a popular win- 

 ter-blooming pot-plant. The fls. 

 are nearly or quite an inch across 

 in well-grown specimens. There is 

 a var. grrandifldra, Hort.. with Hs. 



■': I;. II i-"j, |i. :n. (-it. 46, 



PRIMULA 



1433 



form- \,:r,-.- -..iii.Mliat lacerated 

 or f ringiMl petals ( var. fimbri4ta, 

 Hort.). Var. rdsea, Hort., has 

 rose -colored fls. P. obconica is 

 very easily grown. Prop, by seed. 



AA. Calyx narrow and ordinary. 

 9. cortusoides, Linn. Fig. 1954. 

 Lvs. in a rosette on the ground, 

 rather large and soft, loose hairy 

 (at least on the midrib and pe- 

 tioles), ovate-oblong or cordate- 

 oblong. irregularly many-notched : 

 scapes few to several. 6^12 in. tall, 

 very straight, hairy : fls. rose- 

 colored, about I in. across, pedi- 

 celled. in a loose, many-fld. um- 

 Ik'I, the sesments obovate and 

 (b'l-plv notched or even lobed. 

 Sjluiia. HM. 399. R. H. 1859, p. 



1955. Primula Forbesi. :;i.,). I in 'Jii. ,,. .382.-A handsome 

 < ' ^2 ) liar<l\' vjM-cifs, blooming in May 



in the northern states. 

 10. Si^boldi, Morr. (P. cortusoides, var. amoena, 



Lindl., var. grandifldra, Lem., and var. Sieboldi, Hort. 



P. amcena, Hort.). Looks like a large and robust form 



of P. cortusoides, with fls. 1% to nearly 2 in. across, 



the throat usually striped and the limb in various colors, 

 from pure white to deep purple-rose. Japan: perhaps a 

 cultivated state of the above. B.M. 5528. I.H. 16:599. 

 Gn. 29, p. 382; 35, p. 335; 36:721. Gng. 8:241-2. R.H. 

 1892:300. -The fls. are two to three times larger than 

 those of P. cortusoides. In some forms the fls. are 

 fringed. Blooms in late spring. Hardy North. 



5. MONOCAEPICi:. 



II. Fdrbesi, Franch. Babv Primrose. Figs. 1955, 1956. 

 Annual: slender and delicate species, with something 

 of the habit of P. obconica: loosely hairy, at least on 

 the lvs. and lower part of the scape: lvs. small, 1-2 in. 



1956. Primula Forbesi. 



long, oval-oblong to cordate-oblong, shallowly sinuate- 

 toothed, minutely serrulate: scapes very slender, 6-14 

 in. high, often bent above the whorls: fls. small (about 

 iim. aiToKs), li^'lit lilac, slender -pedicelled, appearing 

 in suia-, v^h ,■ uiiiIh U or whorls, the semnents obcordate, 

 calvx ~hai|. t.m.iImM. small, somewhat loose. China. 

 B.M. TJlii, IMI IMiJ, !>. 2.')9. G.C. 111. 14:ii85. A.F. 

 14:7.-.: Kn_., : MM. F.K. 11 :7L'.-.\ltliontrh first de- 

 scril"-' ~ . V. .-, < ,~ l^sr,. an.l tir-t .xliil'itr,! ill London 

 in Is:- ■ - ..-A .111.- i,r III!' iiHi-i popular of con- 



ser\a:'. ,■ \iMih'a. I r i- :i nh i^i | oi -t'u -r tiloomer, 



beginning 1" ll.v,,,' «l,r, I not moro tl.aii ■_• or :! in. high 

 and continuing until tin- scapes reach a height of 10-12 

 inches. It is particularly well adapted to growing in pans. 

 It is easily grown from seeds, and blooms well all win- 

 ter. Unless given plenty of light and room, the scapes 

 become weak and crooked. 



6. BARBAT.B. 



12. vincifldra, Praneh. Perennial, with a short rhi- 

 zome: lvs. thin, oblonL' or ',val. densely overlapping 

 and forming a narrow .r.rt . n.wn. all erect or nearly 

 so, the upper ones larLC'i. all .niir.- luit ciliate, covered 

 with reddish glands: -.ain- ^lioit: il. solitary, purple- 

 violet or blue, VA in. across, the tube cylindrical or 



