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PRIMULA AURICULA VAR. NIGRA PLENA. 
PKIMULA AURICULA Vak. NIGRA PLENA. 
Nat. Order. Peiwtulaceje, 
Generic Character. — Primula, Linn. Calyx sub-carapanu- 
late or tubular, very often angular or inflated, more or less 
deeply five-tootlied. Corolla bj'pogynous, funnel-shaped or 
salver-shaped ; tube cylindrical, short or elongated, dilated in the 
throat, naked or furnished with scales ; limb five-toothed, patent 
or erect, lobes obtuse, emarginate or bifid. Stamens five, in- 
serted on the tube of the coroUa, opposite its lobes, included ; 
filaments very short, anthers oblong, bilocular, dehiscing longi- 
tudinally. Oianj one-celled, with a central basilar, somewhat 
stalked, globose placenta ; ovules numerous, peltatcly amphitro- 
pous ; style filiform ; stigma capitate. Capsule one-celled, five- 
valved, valves entire or bifid. Seeds numerous, on the free 
central basilar placenta, dotted-rugose, flat on the back, convex 
and umbilicate on the face. Umhryo straight in the axis of 
fleshy albumen, parallel to the umbilicus. — {Endlicher, 6en, 
Plant. 4199.) 
Pkimula auricula, X/rt??.— Leaves obovate, dentate-serrate, 
or almost entire at the border, mealy or densely ciliate with 
short glanduliferous bail's ; scape glabrous, or with the pedicels 
and calyces mealy above ; involucre much shorter than the 
pedicels, its leaflets ovate and obtuse, the throat of the coroUa 
densely mealy ; stamens of the short-styled forms mserted on the 
throat, the capsule slightly exceeding the calyx. 
Var. 7iigra plena. Double Black Auricula. 
BESCRIPTION. — Perennial lierb, mth a subterranean rhizome, producing the flower-stalks in 
the axils of the leaves. Leaves smooth, rather fleshy, not rugose, mealy, obovate, slightly 
toothed. Flowers numerous, in an umbel on the end of an axillary peduncle, derived from 
the luiderground stem ; the umbel, with an involucre of ovate leaflets, shorter than the un- 
equal pedicels. CaljTi oblong, round; thi'oat of the corolla devoid of scales; lobes of the 
corolla slightly obcordate, deep pui'ple ; stamens and ovary metamorphosed into petals resem- 
bling the lobes of the corolla. 
History, &c. — The Aiu'icula, which has been an inhabitant of oui- gardens for more than 
two eentm-ies and a half, and has attracted a large share of the attention of florists, is a native 
of Switzerland, and it is also met with in parts of Bavaria and Swabia. It grows on rocks of 
the Alpine and sub- Alpine regions, also in the plains contiguous, flowering in spring on de- 
clivities, among the melting snow of the Alps. The flowers vary much in coloiu' in gardens, but 
Professor Koch states, that he never met with a wild piu-ple specimen. — A. H. 
This very pretty variety of the Auricula was observed blooming at the nursery of Messrs. 
Rollisson of Tooting early in the past sjaring. Of its origin we have no information ; but we 
learn from Messrs. RoUisson, that they received it from one of the Ghent nm-series, in 1849, 
which, as far as we are aware, was the date of its first introduction to English gardens. It 
blooms freely in the spring, and proves a charming addition to o\\x frame perennials. Our 
drawing was taken from Messrs. Rollisson's plant, above referred to. 
Culture. — This singular but beautiful plant, though a freak of nature, and showing the 
efiects of high cultivation, is not less interesting on that account. It shows what high culti- 
vation must result in. Last year we had a perfectly double Cineraria ; this season we had 
several with numerous rows of petals ; so that we have no doubt that, like Bui-ns's " wee 
crimson-tippit flower," the Cineraria will ultimately become a double flower. These things are 
intere.sting, as exemplifying the adaptability of vegetable forms, and showing that the careful 
cultivator must ultimately be rewarded. 
This elegant little plant, like its progenitors of the Alpine crag, delights in a light rich 
vegetable soil, such as decayed leaves and sandy tm-fy soil liberally intermixed with gritty sand, 
or the debris of rocks. In potting take care to drain the pot thoroughly ; and, if j'ou have to 
prepare the soil, take equal parts of leaf mould and sandy loam, to which sufiicient gritty sand 
must be added to make the whole free and open. After the plants are thoroughly established 
they may, in the second shift, have a little perfectly decayed cow-dung added to the soil, but 
use it with caution, and not until it is perfectly decayed, and at the least two years old. This 
Auricula will be best kept in a fi'ame through the winter, and it must be kept compara- 
tively dry. After it has done blooming let it remain fully exposed until the growth is matured 
and the lower leaves begin to tvirn brown, then it may be removed to a north aspect, and there 
remain, until the rains of autumn render it necessary, that it be removed to a more sheltered 
situation. Planted out tipon rockwork, or in a sheltered and rather dry border, this will become 
an exceedingly interesting plant, and will rank very worthily with the double Polyanthus and 
imrose, and add another to ovs collection of gay spring flowers. 
The Am-icula is propagated by division of the plants, and by cuttings. The proper time to 
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