﻿( 89 .) 



PRIMULA* *. 



Li nnean Class and Order. Penta^dria f, Monogy'nia. 



Natural Order. Pkimula'ce^e. Ventenat . — Lind. Syn. p. 182 ; 

 Introduct. to Nat. Syst. p. 225. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 431. — 

 Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 529. — Lysima'chi^e. Juss. Gen. PI. p. 95. — 

 Sm. Gram, of Bot. p. 95 . — Precis of Linnaeus. 



Gen. Char. Calyx (fig. 1.) inferior, monosepalous (of 1 sepal), 

 tubular, upright, with 5 pointed teeth, and 5 angles, regular, per- 

 manent. Corolla (figs. 2 & 3) monopetalous (of 1 petal), salver- 

 shaped ; tube cylindrical, as long as the calyx ; limb spreading, in 

 5, rather deep, inversely heart-shaped segments ; mouth open. 

 Filaments (see fig. 3) 5, in the throat of the corolla, very short, and 

 opposite to the segments of the limb. Anthers (see fig. 3) upright, 

 pointed, converging (approaching each other at the top), within 

 the tube. Germen (fig. 4) globular. Style (see fig. 4) thread- 

 shaped, the length of the calyx. Stigma globular. Capsule (fig. 5) 

 cylindrical, of 1 cell, opening at the top with 1 0 upright parallel 

 teeth (fig. 6). Seeds (fig. 8) numerous, roundish, attached to an 

 oblong, central receptacle or placenta (see fig. 7). 



The 1 -celled capsule , opening with 10 teeth ; the salver-shaped 

 corolla, with a cylindrical tube, open in the throat ; and the globu- 

 lar stigma ; will distinguish this from other genera vvith a mono- 

 petalous, inferior corolla, and numerous covered seeds, in the same 

 class and order. 



Five species British. 



PRI'MULA VE'RIS. Common Cowslip +. Paigle. 



Spec. Char. Leaves toothed, wrinkled, contracted towards the 

 middle. Stalk many-flowered. Limb of the corolla concave. 



Engl. Bot. t. 5. — l.inn. Sp. PI. p. 204. — Huds. FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 84. — Sm . 

 Fj. Brit. v. i. p.223. Engl. FI. v. i. p. 271. — Gray's Nat. Air. v. ii. p. 302. — 

 J.indl. Syn. p. 184. — Hook. Brit. FI. p.90. — Curt. Brit. Entomol. v. viii. t. 348. — 

 Relh. I I. Cant. (3rd ed.) p. 85. — Hook. FI. Scot. p. 71. — Grev. FI. Edin. p. 47. 

 — FI. Devon, pp. 35 &c 142. — Johnston’s FI. Berk. v.i. p. 55. — Walk. FI. of Oxf. 

 p.52. — Mack. Catal. of PI. of Ire. p. 22. — Primula veris, a. officinalis, Lightf. 

 FI. Scot. v. i. p. 136. — Rev. Professor Henslow, in Cat of Brit. PI. p. 19. — Bab. 

 FI. Bath. p. 41. — Primula officinalis. Curt. FI. I.ond. t. 67. — With. (7th ed.) 

 v. ii. p.289. — Sibth. FI. Oxon. p. 72. — Abb. FI. Bed. p. 44. — Purt. Mid. FI. v. i. 

 p. 114. — Primula veris major, Ray’s Syn. p. 284. — Johnson’s Gerar. p. 780. 



Localities. — I n meadows and pastures, chiefly on a clay, or chalky soil. — 

 Common in most counties but that of Devon, where it is of rare occurrence, ex- 

 cept on the borders of Somerset and Dorset: FI. Devoniensis. 



Perennial. — Flowers in April and May. 



Root growing obliquely, appearing as if bitten off at the end, 

 beset with thick reddish scales, which are the remains of past leaves, 



Fig. 1. Calyx. — Fig. 2. Corolla. — Fig. 3. The same cut open, and a little 

 magnified to show the Stamens. — Fig. 4. Germen, Style, and Stigma. — Fig. 5. 

 Capsule. — Fig. 6. The summit of the same, showing the 10 teeth. — Fig. 7. Cap- 

 sule divided vertically, to show the receptacle or placenta. — Fig. 8. A Seed. 



* From Primus, first, on account of the early appearance of the flowers in the 

 commonest of the species. Hence also Prim-rose. Drs. Hook. & Wither. 

 t See Anchusa sempervirens, folio 48, note t* 



t “ As some think, from their resemblance of scent to the breath of a cow; 

 perhaps from growing much in pasture grounds, and often meeting the cow’s 

 lip.” Dr. Johnson. 



