Primula Farinosa. Bird’s-Eye Primula, 
PRIMULA. Linn. Gen. PL PEntandri A MoNOGYNtA^. 
Involucrum umbellulae. Cor. tubus dylindridus, ore patulo. Capfi 
l-locularis, teres, dentibus lo-dehifcens, polyfperma. 
Rail Syn. Gen. 18. Herbie fructu sicco singulari flore monopetalo. 
PRIMULA farinoja foliis crenatis glabris, florum limbo piano. Linn. Sy/ 1 . Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 
192. Sp. PL ed. g. p. 205. Scop. Cam. ed. 2. p. 133. Hudf. FI. Angl. ed-. 2. p. 84. 
Lightfoot Scot. v. 1. p. 137. 
ARETIA foliis glabris, ellipticis, rugofis, fubtus farinofis, floribus umbellatis. Hall. Hijl. 625. 
VERBASCULUM umbellatum alpinum minus. Bauh. Pin. 247. Rail Syn. ed. 3. p. 285. Bird’s-eye. 
PRIMULA veris flore rubro et alb. Red and white Bird eine. Ger. Herb. 639.^ 1, 2. cmac. 783. f i, 2. 
PARALYSIS minor flore rubro et albo. Park. Parad. p. 246. PL 243.10. Theat. p. 536. I, 2. 
RADIX perennis, fubpramorfa, fibrofiflima, fibris $ ROOT perennial, fomewhat flumped, very fibrous, 
longis, perpendicularibus; odorata. 0 fibres long, perpendicular; fweet-fcented. 
FOLIA oblongo-obovata, crenata, glabra, crafliufcula, t LEAVES oblong-obovate, crenated, fmootb, thickifh, 
ad margines hinc inde reflexa, fubtus farinofa, 5 here and there turned back on the edges, 
venofa. a mealy on the under fide and veiny. 
SCAPUS palmaris ad fpithamEeum, ereftus, teres, (% STALK a hand’s breadth or fpan in height, upright, 
nudus, pallide virens, farinofus. $ round, naked, of a pale green colour and 
0 mealy. 
FLORES in umbella erefta, purpurei, fuaveolentes. v FLOWERS purple, fweet-fcented, growing in an up- 
f right umbel. 
INVOLUCRUM polyphyllum, foliolum f braftea fub- f INVOLUCRUM many-leav’d, each leaf or braftea 
ulata ad fingulum pedunculum. | awl-fhaped and placed at the bafe of each 
§ peduncle. 
CALYX: Perianthium monophyllum, perfiftfns, § CALYX: a Perianthium of one leaf, continuing, 
obovatum, pentagonum, quinquefidum, la- 6 obovate, fi ve-corner’d, divided into five feg- 
ciniis e reft is, obtufiufculis, apice fubconni- y ments, which are upright, a little blunt, 
ventibus, obfcure viridibus, farinofis, jig. 1, 2. § clofing together fomewhat at their tips, of a 
§ dull green colour and mealy. Jig. 1, 2. 
COROLLA: monopetala, tubulofa ; Tubus cylindra- § COROLLA: monopetalous, tubular; Tube cylindri- 
cal, longer than the calyx, contrafted in the 
middle, terminating in a neck fomewhat en- 
larged, yellowifh, fmooth, crowned with a 
mouth which is open and yellow; Limb 
divided into five fcgments fpreading very flat, 
a fS-3- ' 
STAMINA: Filamenta quinque, breviflima, intra ® STAMINA: five Filaments very fhort, within the 
collum tubi corolla; Anthers ereftse, ob- x neck of the tube of the corolla; Anthers 
longse, fubtrigonze, conniventes, flavas, Jig. 4. A upright, oblong, fomewhat three-cornered, 
A clofing together and yellow, fig. 4. 
PISTILLUM: Germen fuperum, fubglobofum, gla- 6 PISTILLUM: Germen above, fomewhat globular, 
brum; Stylus filiformis, longitudine tubi; i fmooth; Style filiform, the length of the 
Stigma globofum,/^. 5. } tube; Stigma globular, 5. 
PERICARPIUM : Capsula cylindracea, calyce duplo ¥ SEED-VESSEL: a cylindrical Capsule, twice the 
longior, fufca, unilocularis, ore quinqueden- § length of the calyx, brown, of one cavity, 
tato, fig. 6. ’ § the mouth five-toothed, fig. 6'. 
SEMINA plurima, minima, fufca, fig. 7. § SEEDS numerous, very minute, and brown, fig. 7. 
The fpecies of Primula here figured, called farinofa, from the mealinefs chiefly obfervable on the plant in the 
fpring of the year, a native of the more northern parts of Europe, is found abundantly in certain diftrifts of 
Yorkshire, and other northern counties of Great-Britain, chiefly in bogs and boggy meadows, in fome of which 
it occurs in fuch profufion as to empurple them with its blofloms. 
In its native foil, it flowers in July and Auguft; in our more fouthern gardens, a month or fix weeks earlier. 
The flowers vary with different fhades of purple, and they have been found entirely white; in point of 
fize, the plant is alfo fubjeft to much variation ; in a bog in Skirrith-Wood, near Ingleton, we obferved 
fpecimens of it a foot and a half high: in the cultivated plant, we have fometimes feen it have a tendency to 
be viviparous, to produce one or more tufts of leaves among the flowers of the umbel; in its wild flate it feeds 
readily, and frequently when cultivated ; towards the end of September its outer leaves fade, and the heart of 
the plant forms itfelf into a knob, or button, a kind of hybernaculum in which it remains during the winter; 
in the fpring it expands, and the leaves then appear wholly white and mealy ; the corolla continues to envelope 
the germen till it has almoft arrived at maturity, forming a fort of calyptra to it; the capfule ultimately forms 
a mouth with five teeth, it (hould have ten to anfwer ftriftly to the charafter of a Primula. 
In the neighbourhood of London cultivators feldom blow this plant in perfeftion, and rarely keep it for 
any length of time ; and this juftifies Parkinson’s obfervation, who long fince remarked, that it ‘-would 
“ hardly abide any culture that it Ihould fuffer, as it commonly does, from a fcantv fupply of water in the 
fummer, is not to be wondered at, but that it fliould be deftroyed by too much wet in the winter, few would 
apprehend, a priori ; fuch, however, is the faft, as I have too frequently experienced ; one winter, indeed, I 
loll my whole flock from this caufe, and renewed it by the kindnefs of my friend Mrs. Chorley, of Tottenham, 
niece of the late Dr. Fothergill, who kept the few plants flie had in pots, dry, by laying them on their 
fides, as is fometimes praftifed with Auriculas. 
To attempt raifing this plant from feed is fcarcely worth the while, fince a ftrong root of it may be divided 
fo as to form a great number of others ; the bell time for doing this is in the fpring, foon after its leaves have 
expanded; each offset fliould be placed in a feparate pot, filled with two parts ffiffilh loam, and one part 
bog-earth of the light Tandy kind, watered and fet in the lhade, under a north wall or paling, but not under 
trees, there they fliould be kept during fummer in pans of water ; in the autumn, as the wet Icafon comes on, 
they fliould be taken out of the pans and placed, during the winter, under a common cucumber frame, chiefly 
for the purpofe of keeping them from immoderate wet ; the next year (if not the fame) thefe plants will blow 
ftrong ; and tlius they fliould be treated every year, for Primulas in general require to have their roots 
frequently parted. 
ceus, calice longior, in medio coarftatus, 
terminatus collo fubventricofo, lutefeente, 
glabro, fauce pervia, lutea coronata; Limbus 
5 -partitus, patentiflimus, fig. 3. 
