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Primula Acaulis. Primrose. 
PRIMULA. Linn. Gen. PI. Pentandria MonoGyNia. » 
Involucr. Umbelluhe. Corolla tubus Cylindricus : ore patulo. 
_ _T a Ral , 1 GetU 1 - 8 ' HER ? yE FRUCTU SICCO SINGULARI FLORE MONOPET A LO. 
PRIMULA acaulis folns rugofis, dentatis, fubtus hirfutis ; fcapis unifloris. Jacq. Mifc. Auftr. p. 
PRIMULA vulgaris foliis dentatis rugofis fcapo fubunifloro, limbo corolla; piano. Hud/'. FI. Ansi- 
ed. 2. p. 83. 6 
PRIMULA foliis dentatis rugofis pedunculis radicalibus unifloris, limbo corollarum piano. Kranii 
Flench, p. 42. 
PRIMULA veris var y acaulis, fcapo nullo. Linn. Sp. PL p. 204. Syjl. Vegetal, ed. 14. Murr. p. 102. 
FI. Suec. 171. 
PRIMULA Jylvefiris. Scopoh FI. Cam. n. 264. 
PRIMULA foliis hirfutis, rugofis, dentatis ; fcapis unifloris. Haller Hifi. n. 608. 
VERB ASCULUM fyl varum majus lingulari flore. Bauh. Pin. 241. 
PRIMULA veris pallido flore humilis. Cluf. Hijl. p. 362. 
PRIMULA veris minor. Ger. Herb. 636; 
PRIMULA veris vulgaris. Park. Th. p. 535. Raii Syn. p-. 284. Common Primrofe. 
RADIX perennis, obliqua, pnemorfa, fquamis craflis § 
rubentibus a foliis praeteritis reliftis obte&a ; 6 
emittens fibras copiofas, praelongas, teretes, 9 
albidas. Odor lingularis fere anili. 9 
CAULIS nullus. | 
FOLIA fubpalmaria, ere6liufcula, oblongo-ovata, bafi 0 
attenuata, obtufa, venofa, rugofa, fupra laevia, $ 
fubtus hirfuta, margine parum revoluta, leviter 9 
undulata, inaequaliter crenata ; cofta albida, f 
in petiolum canaliculatum carinatum ruben- A 
tern definente. A 
STIPULyE fubunciales, acuminatae, ad bafin pedun- 0 
culorum. 6 
FLORES erefti, numerofi, pallide fulphurei, majuf- 9 
culi, fuaveolentes. x 
PEDUNCULI erefli, foliis paulo breviores, Uniflori, A 
teretes, hirfuti, pallide virentes, ex ipfa JC 
radice progredientes, poll florefcentiam de- 0 
flexi. O 
CALYX : Perianthium i-phyllum, perfiflens, ob- ? 
longum, tubulofum, plicato-pentagonum, A 
pilofum, 5-dentatum, dentibus acuminatis, 
apice inflexis, . fig. 1. 0 
COROLLA monopetala, tubulofa ; tubus cylindra- 6 
ceus, calyce longior, flriatus, nitidus, limbus 0 
quinquepartitus, patens, laciniis obcordatis, f 
emarginatis, bafi macula flellaeformi flava 9 
notatis ; faux obfolete coronata, fig. 2. A 
A . • - 6 
STAMINA: Filamenta 5, breviflima, intra tubum (I 
corollae, fig. 4. aut ad faucem ejus pofita, 
fig. 3. Anthers ereftae, oblongae, flavae, $ 
fubtrigonae, fig. 5. conniventes. ® 
PISTILLUM: Germen fuperum, fubglobofum, gla- ^ 
brum, fig. 6 . Stylus filiformis, tubo ple- § 
rumque brevior, fig. 7. Stigma globofum, ^ 
fg- ' § 
ROOT perennia^ oblique; flumped at the extremity; 
befet with thick reddifh fcales, the remains 
of the paft leaves; fending down numerous, 
very long, round, whitifh fibres ; its fmell 
fingular; fomewhat like that of anife. 
STALK none. 
LEAVES about a hand's breath in length; nearly 
upright, oblong-ovate, tapering to the bafe y 
blunt, veiny, wrinkled, fmooth above, hirfute 
beneath, the edge flightly rolled back, (lightly 
waved, unequally notched; the midrib whitifh, 
terminating in a footflalk of a reddifh colour, 
hollow on one fide, and keeled on the other. 
STIPULAE about an inch in length, long-pointed, at 
the bafe of the flower-ftalks. 
FLOWERS upright, numerous, of a pale fulphur 
colour, rather large and fweet-fcented. 
FLOWER-STALKS upright, a little fhorter than the 
leaves, one-flowered, round, hirfute, of a 
pale green colour, proceeding from the root 
itfelf, after the flowering is over, bending 
back. 
CALYX: a Perianthium of one leaf, permanent, 
oblong, tubular, folded, and forming five 
angles, hairy, 5-toothed, teeth long-pointed, 
bending in at the tip, fig. 1 . 
COROLLA monopetalous, tubular ; the tube cylin- 
drical, longer than the calyx, ftriated, and 
glofiy ; limb quinquepartite, fp reading, the 
legments obcordate, emarginate, marked at 
the bafe with a ftar-lhaped yellow fpot, the 
mouth marked with a faint nm, fig . 2. 
STAMINA: five Filaments, very fhort, placed 
either within the tube of the corolla, fig. 4. 
or at its mouth, fig. 3. Anther.e upright, 
oblong, yellow, fomewhat three-corner’d, 
fig. 5. doling together. 
PISTILLUM : Germen above the bafe of the calyx; 
nearly globular, fmooth, fig. 6 . Style fili- 
form, ufually fhorter than the tube, fig, 7. 
Stigma round, fig. 8. 
Primula veris appears to have been a kind of general, or generic name given by many of the ancient Botanifls 
to the Primrofie, Cowflip , and Oxlip ; yet is moft applicable to the Primrofe, as a flower of the fprincr ; they 
regarded thefe plants as fo many diftinft fpecies, and fuch they were in general confidered till Linnaeus 
ventured to maintain a contrary opinion, an opinion which comparatively fpeaking, few of his followers have 
acquiefced in : partial as we are to the tranfcendent merits of that great man, we cannot agree with him in this 
inflance, without deflroying, as we apprehend, all limits of fpecific diftin&ion. 
The moft ftriking character of the Primrofe confifts in its mode of flowering, each bloffom growing on a 
Angle peduncle, which fprings from the root ; Linn^us afferts that the peduncles fpring from a fcapus, as in 
the Cowflip, though it be fo fhort as not to appear above ground, and from this circumftance principally, he 
maintains that the Primrofe is only a variety ; or, in other words, that the Primrofe, the Cowflip, and the Oxlip 
are one and the fame fpecies. 
We will not deny the exiftence of fuch a ftalk as Linnaius defcribes; in examining a vaft number of thefe 
plants, we have found it in a few, but it certainly is not general in the wild plant ; we are ready, however, to 
admit more than the exiftence of this fhort fcapus ; the plant when cultivated will fometimes throw up a ftalk 
fimilar to that of the Polyanthus, and of this my very good friend Dr. Buxton, of Greenwich, has favoured 
me with a ftriking inflance ; Primrofes in their wild ftate introduced to his Garden at Maize-Hill, a few 
years fince, now produce flowers, both with and without a fcapus, are indeed become, colour excepted, perfeci 
'Polyanthufes ; in my own garden the white hole in hofe Primrofe produces early in the fpring, flowers on 
E eduncles, and afterwards flowers on a fcapus, or, to fpeak in the language of the florifl, flowers in a trufs, 
ut ftill they haye the foliage and the flowers of the true Primrofe ; the Cowflip and the Oxlip, on the contrary, 
-fometimes produce flowers on peduncles, as well as on a fcapus, of which I now have alfo inftances in my garden 5 
but 
