274 PRIMROSE FAMILY. 



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

 spring, from the flowering time of true Primrose.) y. 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-eup-shaped. 



P. Sinensis, 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. 



t- 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. grandifldra, 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. officinalis, 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. 



** Leaves cordate-ovate, hairy. 



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

 scapes tall (8'-16') 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. 



■►+ •"■ 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. DODEC ATHEON. (Fanciful name, from Greek for twelve gods.) % 



D. Meadia, Linn. Shooting Star, American Cowslip. In rich 

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



