544 
PRIMULA 
districts. A few occur elsewhere, e.g. P. farinosa L., var. rnagellanica 
Hook, at the Str. of Magelhaen. The rhizome is a sympodium, each 
joint terminating in an infl. In some sp. this consists of successive 
whorls of firs, arranged up a long stalk, e.g. P. japonica A. Gray. 
The genus has been monographed by Pax (see Nat. PJl .). A few of 
the more important sp. are : P. sinensis Sabine, the Chinese prim- 
rose, P. elatior Hill, the oxlip (Brit.), P. vulgaris Huds. [P. acaulis 
Hill), the primrose (Brit.), P. veris Lehm. (P. ojficinalis Jacq.), the 
cowslip (Brit.), P. farinosa L. (Brit.), P. japonica A. Gray, a most 
beautiful plant, not as often cultivated as it deserves to be, P. Au- 
ricula L., the auricula with its many forms. A great many hybrids 
also occur, and garden varieties. An interesting one is the double 
crowned cowslip, in which the calyx has become petaloid, so that the 
fir. looks as if it had two corollas, one within the other. 
The firs, of P. are dimorphic, heterostyled. On one plant are 
found long-styled firs., with sta. halfway up the tube of the corolla 
and the stigma at its mouth ; on another plant are short-styled firs., 
with stigma halfway up and anthers at the mouth. The depth and 
narrowness of the tube render the fir. adapted to bees or butterflies, 
and these will tend to carry pollen from long sta. to long style or 
from short sta. to short style. These ‘legitimate’ pollinations (see 
Lythrum and p. 95) which are at the same time crossings, are the 
only ones which produce a full complement of fertile seed. 
The flower stalks in the umbellate forms, e.g . cowslip, stand close 
and erect till the firs, open, then they spread out, and close up again 
as the fruit ripens ; thus the capsule is held erect and the seeds must 
be shaken out. 
Primulaceae. Dicotyledons (Sympet. Primulales). 28 gen. with 350 
sp. cosmop., but esp. N. temp. There 
are 9 Brit, genera, representing all but 
one of the suborders. They are herb- 
aceous plants, commonly perennial, 
with rhizomes or tubers ; leaves opp. 
or alt., exstip. The firs, are often 
borne on scapes, which when more 
than one flowered are terminal ; they 
are usually actinomorphic, £ , often 
heterostyled, and 5-merous, without 
bracteoles, the odd (4th) sepal poste- 
rior. K (5) persistent; C (5), regular 
(exc. Coris), or 5, or o (Glaux); A 5, 
epipetalous and opposite the petals; 
occasionally 5 staminodes alternate 
with the petals ; anthers introrse. 
The presence of the staminodes here 
as in Myrsinaceae, explains the antepetalous position of the sta. as due 
Floral diagram of Primula 
acaulis (after Eichler). 
