Primula incana
Primula cusickiana
hoary primrose, mealy primrose, silvery primrose
Cusick's primrose, Wallowa primrose
not aromatic, indistinctly petiolate;
petiole broadly winged;
blade without deep reticulate veins abaxially, elliptic to oblanceolate, 1–6 × 0.3–1.6 cm, thin, margins remotely denticulate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrous.
not aromatic, indistinctly petiolate;
petiole winged;
blade without deep reticulate veins abaxially, lanceolate to spatulate, 1–4 × 0.3–1.8(–2.3) cm, thick, margins almost entire or somewhat dentate, apex obtuse or acute, surfaces glabrous.
4–19-flowered;
involucral bracts saccate, ± equal.
2–8-flowered;
involucral bracts plane, unequal.
erect, thin, 3–9 mm, length ± 1 times bracts, stiff.
erect to arcuate, thin, 2–25(–35) mm, length ca. 1–2 times bracts, flexuous.
homostylous;
calyx green, broadly cylindric, 4–10 mm;
corolla lavender, tube 4–10 mm, length 1 times calyx, eglandular, limb 4–8 mm diam., lobes 2–4 mm, apex emarginate.
heterostylous;
calyx green, sometimes with farinose stripes on ridges, narrowly campanulate, 5–11 mm;
corolla rose to magenta-violet, tube 7–14 mm, length 1–2 times calyx, glandular or eglandular, limb to 10–25 mm diam., lobes 5–10 mm, apex emarginate.
cylindric to ellipsoid, length 1.5–2 times calyx.
ovoid, length 1 times calyx.
without flanged edges, reticulate.
unknown.
= 54, 72.
Primula incana
Primula cusickiana
Primula incana is usually heavily farinose, at least when young, and has relatively tall scapes and tight umbels of homostylous flowers. As with some species of the genus, anthesis often begins before the scape is fully elongated; plants at first are quite small, but elongate throughout anthesis and typically become relatively tall and lanky in age. This has led to confusion with other arctic species, especially P. stricta, which has considerably less farina, a shorter scape, and a more maritime distribution. In fruiting stage, P. incana has been confused with P. laurentiana, which has looser umbels throughout anthesis, larger flowers, and a more eastern distribution. Primula incana generally replaces P. laurentiana to the west and south of Hudson Bay. The single octoploid count for P. incana is questionable; the species appears to be consistently hexaploid in other counts.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).
Throughout the Great Basin and Intermountain Region, Primula cusickiana exhibits local variation. With the exception of P. capillaris, the members of the P. cusickiana complex are treated as varieties distinguished somewhat arbitrarily by morphological differences; geographic distribution and ecology also separate them. Genetic studies using nuclear ITS and ETS sequences, cpDNA and AFLPs (S. Kelso et al. unpubl.; A. R. Mast et al. 2004) support the close relationships in this clade and to P. capillaris. This infraspecific taxonomic recognition does not diminish their biological importance as isolated endemics almost certainly relictual from the last Ice Age and now restricted to diminishing alpine habitat islands of the Intermountain Region. Given their limited distributions and habitat, which is often threatened by climatic or anthropogenic factors, all representatives of this complex should be considered of conservation concern.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Plants glabrous except for white farina on involucral bracts and calyces | → 2 |
1. Plants glandular-pubescent, at least in inflorescences, white-farinose on involucral bracts and calyces | → 3 |
2. Corolla tube length 1-1.5 times calyx. | var. cusickiana |
2. Corolla tube length usually ca. 2 times calyx. | var. maguirei |
3. Corolla tube length 1.5+ times calyx, 8-14 mm. | var. domensis |
3. Corolla tube length to 1.5 times calyx, 7-10 mm. | var. nevadensis |
BC
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
OR
CalFlora
Flora NW
