Primula laurentiana |
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bird's-eye primrose, birdeye primrose, primevère laurentienne |
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Habit | Plants 10–48 cm, herbaceous; rhizomes thin, short; rosettes not clumped; vegetative parts usually farinose but sometimes efarinose in age. |
Leaves | not aromatic, indistinctly petiolate; petiole broadly winged; blade without deep reticulate veins abaxially, oblanceolate to spatulate, 3–10 × 0.4–1.3 cm, thin, margins crenate, apex obtuse to acute, surfaces glabrous. |
Inflorescences | 3–12-flowered; involucral bracts saccate, ± equal. |
Pedicels | erect or spreading, sturdy, 5–10 mm, length ca. 2 times bracts, somewhat flexuous. |
Flowers | homostylous; calyx green, campanulate, 5–8 mm; corolla lavender, tube 6–9 mm, length 1.5–2 times calyx, eglandular, limb 10–16 mm diam., lobes 5–8 mm, apex emarginate. |
Capsules | ellipsoid, length 1.5–2 times calyx. |
Seeds | without flanged edges, reticulate. |
2n | = 72. |
Primula laurentiana |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Moist open areas, meadows and stream banks on calcareous soils |
Elevation | 0-300 m (0-1000 ft) |
Distribution |
ME; NB; NL; NS; ON; QC
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Discussion | Primula laurentiana is the octoploid member of a polyploid complex of sect. Aleuritia in North America that encompasses ploidy levels from 2x to 14x. It is most similar to the hexaploid P. incana; it differs in its larger flowers, more open inflorescence, and more robust stature. Both species are heavily farinose and have homostylous flowers. The efarinose form described as forma chlorophylla Fernald is a common variant throughout the range of the species. In coastal northeastern Canada, P. laurentiana blends morphologically and ecologically with P. stricta and crossing between the two is likely; assessment of species identity can be difficult here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 293. |
Parent taxa | Primulaceae > Primula |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | P. farinosa var. macropoda, P. mistassinica var. macropoda |
Name authority | Fernald: Rhodora 30: 68. 1928 , |
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