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PRIMROSE

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Originally appearing in Volume V22, Page 341 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

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PRIMROSE .1 The genus Primula contains numerous See also:

SPECIES

species distributed throughout the cooler parts of See also:

EUROPE

Europe and See also:

ASIA

Asia, and found also on the mountains of See also:

ABYSSINIA (officially ETHIOPIA)

Abyssinia and See also:

JAVA

Java; a few are See also:

AMERICAN

American. They are herbaceous perennials, with a permanent stock from which are emitted tufts of leaves and See also:

flower-sterns which See also:

die down in See also:

winter; the new growths formed in autumn remains in a bud-like See also:

CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition ready to develop in See also:

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring. They See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form the typical genus of See also:

PRIMULACEAE

Primulaceae (q.v.), the floral conformation of which is very interesting on several accounts independently of the beauty of the See also:

FLOWERS, ARTIFICIAL

flowers. The variation in the length of the stamens and of the See also:

style in the flowers of Primula has attracted much See also:

ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention since See also:

Charles See also:

Darwin pointed out the true significance of these varied arrangements. Briefly it may be said that some of the flowers have See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short stamens and a See also:

long style, while others have long stamens, or stamens inserted so high up that the anthers protrude beyond the corolla See also:

TUBE (Lat. tuba)

tube, and a short style. Gardeners and florists had for centuries been See also:

FAMILIAR (through the Fr. familier, from Lat. familiaris, of or belonging to the familia, family)

familiar with these See also:

variations, calling the flowers from which the anthers protruded " thrum-eyed " and those in which the stigma appeared in the mouth of the tube " See also:

PIN (a doublet with " pen " from Lat. pinna, feather, pinnacle, which is said to contain the same root as irirvs, pine tree, and properly to mean a sharp point or end)

pin-eyed." Darwin showed by experiment that the most perfect degree of fertility, as shown by the greatest number of seeds and the healthiest seedlings, was attained when the See also:

POLLEN, AUGUST (or, as he afterwards called himself, ADOLF) LUDWIG (1794-1855)

pollen from a short-stamened flower was transferred to the stigma of a short-styled flower, or when the pollen from the long stamens was applied to the long style. As in any given flower the stamens are short (or See also:

low down in the flower-tube) and the style long, or conversely, it follows that to ensure a high degree of fertility See also:

CROSS

cross fertilization must occur, and this is effected by the See also:

TRANSFER (from Lat. transferre, to bear across, carry over)

transfer of the pollen from one flower to another by See also:

INSECTS

insects. Incomplete fertility arises when the stigma is impregnated by the pollen from the same flower. The See also:

SIZE

size of the pollen-grains and the texture of the stigma are different in the two forms of flower (see figure under PRIMULACEAE). The See also:

DISCOVERY

discovery of the physiological significance of these variations in structure, which had long been noticed, was made by Darwin, and formed the first of a See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of similar observations and experiments by himself and subsequent observers (see Darwin, Different Forms of Flowers, &c.). Among See also:

BRITISH

British species may be mentioned the See also:

COMMON

Common Primrose (P. vulgaris); the cowslip (P. veris); the true Oxlip (P. elatior), a rare plant only found in the eastern counties; and the common See also:

Lat. primula; Ital. and Span. Primavera; Fr. primevbre, or in some provinces primerole.

Strangely enough, the word was applied, according to Dr See also:

Prior, in the See also:

MIDDLE

middle ages to the See also:

DAISY (A.S. daeges cage, day's eye)

daisy (Bellis perennis), the See also:

PRESENT

present usage being of comparatively See also:

RECENT

recent origin.oxlip, the flowers of which recall those of the common primrose, but are provided with a supporting See also:

STEM (O. Eng. staefn, stemn, cf. Du. stain, Ger. Stamm, &c., probably related to " staff ")

stem, as in the cowslip; it is, in fact, a hybrid between the cowslip and the primrose. In addition to these two other species occur in See also:

BRITAIN (Gr. Hperavuml vi7vot, Bperravia; Lat. Britannia, rarely Britannia)

Britain, namely, P. farinosa, found in See also:

WALES (Cymru, Gwalia, Cambria)

Wales, the See also:

north of See also:

England and See also:

SOUTHERN

southern See also:

Scotland, and P. scotica, which occurs in See also:

Orkney and See also:

CAITHNESS

Caithness. These two species are found also in high See also:

ARCTIC (Gr. "ApKroc, the Bear, the northern constellation of Ursa Major)

Arctic latitudes, and P. farinosa, or a very closely allied form, exists in Fuegia. The See also:

AURICULA (Primula auricula)

Auricula (q.v.) of the gardens is derived from P. Auricula, a yellow-flowered species, a native of the Swiss mountains. The See also:

POLYANTHUS

Polyanthus (q.v.), a well-known See also:

GARDEN (from O. Fr. garden, mod. Fr. jardin; this, like our words " garth," a paddock attached to a building, and " yard," comes from a Teutonic word for an enclosure which appears in Gothic as gards and O. H. Ger. gart, cf. Dutch gaarde and Ger. .garten)

garden See also:

RACE

race, is probably derived from a cross between the primrose and cowslip. The Himalayas are See also:

rich in species of primrose, often very difficult of determination or See also:

LIMITATION, STATUTES OF

limitation, certain forms being See also:

PECULIAR

peculiar to particular valleys. Of these P. denticulata, Stuartii, sikkimmensis, nivalis, floribunda, may be mentioned as frequently cultivated, as well as the lovely See also:

rose-coloured species P. rosea. The Royal Cowslip (P. imperialis) resembles P. japonica, but has leaves measuring 18 in. long by 5 in. widd. It grows at an See also:

ELEVATION

elevation of 9000 ft. in Java, and has deep yellow or See also:

orange flowers. The primrose is to be had in cultivation in a considerable variety of shades of See also:

COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour, ranging from the palest yellow to deep See also:

CRIMSON

crimson and See also:

BLUE (common in different forms to most European languages)

blue. As the varieties do not reproduce quite true from See also:

SEED (from the root seen in Lat. serere, to sow)

seed, it is necessary to increase See also:

SPECIAL

special kinds by See also:

DIVISION (from Lat. dividere, to break up into parts, separate)

division.

The primrose is at its best in heavy soils in slight shade, and with plenty of moisture during the summer. One of the most popular of winter and See also:

early spring decorative See also:

PLANTS

plants is the See also:

CHINESE, JAPANESE AND

Chinese primrose, Primula sinensis, of which some superb strains have been obtained. For See also:

ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary purposes See also:

young plants are raised annually from seeds, sown about the beginning of See also:

March, and again for See also:

SUCCESSION (Lat. successio, from succedere, to follow after)

succession in See also:

APRIL

April and, if needed, in May. The seed should be sown in well-drained pots or pans, in a compost of three parts See also:

LIGHT

light See also:

LOAM (O.E. lam; the word appears in Dut. leem and Ger. Lehm; the ultimate origin is the root lai-, meaning " to be sticky," which is seen in the cognate " lime," Lat. limus, mud, clay)

loam, one See also:

PART

part well-rotted See also:

LEAF (O. Eng. leaf, cf. Dutch loof, Ger. Laub, Swed. lof, &c.; possibly to be referred to the root seen in Gr. Ma-eta, to peel, strip)

leaf-See also:

MOULD

mould, and one part clean gritty See also:

sand, as it does not germinate freely if the See also:

SOIL

soil contains stagnant moisture, afterwards placing a See also:

SHEET

sheet of See also:

glass over the pans to prevent evaporation of moisture. When the seeds germinate, remove the glass and See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place the pans in a well lighted position near the glass, shading them from the See also:

sun with thin See also:

white See also:

paper, and giving See also:

WATER

water moderately as required. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out in pans or shallow boxes, and, as soon as they have made leaves an See also:

INCH (O. Eng. ynce from Lat. uncia, a twelfthpart; cf. " ounce," and see As)

inch long, pot them singly in 3-in. pots, using in the soil a little rotten dung. They should then be placed in a light See also:

FRAME

frame near the glass in an open situation, facing the north. When their pots are filled with roots they should be moved into 6-in. or 7-in. pots. The soil should now consist of three parts See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good loam broken with the See also:

hand, one part rotten dung and leaf-mould, and as much sand as will keep the whole open. They should be potted firmly, and kept in frames See also:

close up to the glass till See also:

SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September, excess in watering being carefully avoided. In the autumn they should be transferred to a light See also:

house and placed near the glass, the See also:

ATMOSPHERE (Gr. fir µ6r, vapour; orkaipa, a sphere)

atmosphere being kept dry by the occasional use of See also:

FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire-See also:

HEAT (0. E. haktu, which like " hot," Old Eng. hat, is from the Teutonic type haita, hit, to be hot; cf. Ger. hitze, heiss; Dutch, hitte, heet, &c.)

heat. The See also:

NIGHT

night temperature should be kept about 45°.

When the flowering stems are growing up, manure water once or twice a See also:

WEEK (from A.S. wicu, Germanic *wikon, probably=change, turn)

week will be beneficial. The semi-See also:

double varieties are increased from seeds, but the fully-double ones, and any particular sort, can only be increased by cuttings. Primula japonica, a bold-growing and very beautiful See also:

JAPANESE

Japanese plant, is See also:

hardy in sheltered positions in England. P. cortusoides, See also:

var. Sieboldii (See also:

JAPAN

Japan), of which there are many lovely forms, is suitable for outdoor culture and under glass. There are several small-growing hardy species which should be accommodated on the best positions on rockeries where they are secure from excessive dampness during winter; excess of moisture at that See also:

SEASON (0. Fr. seson, seison, mod. saison, Lat. satio, sowing time, the spring, from serere, to sow; in Late Lat. the word is found with its present meaning, the spring being considered as particularly the season of the year)

season is the worst enemy of the choice Alpine varieties. They are propagated by seed and by division of the crowns after flowering. P. Forrestii is a quite new orange-yellow flowered species from See also:

CHINA

China; as is also P. Bulleyi. They are probably hardy—at least in favoured spots. Evening primrose belongs to the genus Oenothera (natural See also:

order See also:

ONAGRACEAE

Onagraceae), natives of temperate North and See also:

South See also:

AMERICA

America.

The common evening primrose, Oe. biennis, has become naturalized in Britain and elsewhere in Europe; the form or species known as var. grandiflora or Oe. Lamarckiana is a very showy plant with larger flowers than in the common form. Other species known in gardens are Oe. missouriensis (macrocarpa), 6 to 12 in., which has stout trailing branches, See also:

LANCE

lance-shaped leaves and large yellow blossoms.; Oe. taraxacifolia, 6 to 12 in., which has a stout See also:

CROWN

crown from which the trailing branches spring out, and these See also:

bear very large white flowers changing to delicate rose; this perishes in See also:

COLD (in O. Eng. cald and ceald, a word coming ultimately from a root cognate with the Lat. gelu, gelidus, and common in the Teutonic languages, which usually have two distinct forms for the substantive and the adjective, cf. Ger. Kolte, kalt, Dutch koude

cold soils, and should therefore be raised from seed annually. Of erect See also:

HABIT (through the French from Lat. habitus, from habere, to have, hold, or, in a reflective sense, to be in a certain condition; in many of the English senses the French use habitude, not habit)

habit are Oe. speciosa, i to 2 ft., with large white flowers; .Oe. fruticosa, 2 to 3 ft., with abundant yellow flowers. The name of Cape Primrose has been given by some to the hybrid forms of Streptocarpus, a South See also:

AFRICAN

African genus belonging to the natural order Gesneraceae.

End of Article: PRIMROSE

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