Primula parryi
Primula capillaris
Parry primrose, Parry's primrose
Ruby Mountain primrose, Ruby Mountains primrose
rankly aromatic, indistinctly petiolate;
petiole broadly winged;
blade without deep reticulate veins abaxially, broadly lanceolate or oblanceolate to oblong-obovate, 1–33(–40) × 1.5–7 cm, thick, margins almost entire or remotely denticulate, apex rounded to acute, surfaces glabrous.
not aromatic, indistinctly petiolate;
petiole narrowly winged;
blade without deep reticulate veins abaxially, linear-oblanceolate, 1–6 × 0.1–0.5 cm, thick, margins entire, apex rounded, surfaces glabrous.
5–25-flowered;
involucral bracts plane, unequal.
1(–2)-flowered;
involucral bracts plane, unequal.
arcuate, somewhat thick, 10–50 mm, length 1–6 times bracts, flexuous.
erect, thin, 2–12 mm, length ca. 1–2 times bracts, flexuous.
heterostylous;
calyx green, often purple tinged, cylindric to campanulate, 8–15 mm;
corolla magenta, tube 5–20 mm, length 0.9–1 times calyx, with prominent glands basally and distally, limb 10–25 mm diam., lobes 5–12 mm, apex emarginate.
heterostylous;
calyx green, narrowly campanulate, 4–8 mm;
corolla magenta-violet with bluish tinge, tube 5–8 mm, length 0.9–1.2 times calyx, eglandular basally, sparsely glandular distally, limb 5–8 mm diam., lobes 2–4 mm, apex emarginate.
ellipsoid to cylindric, length 1 times calyx.
cylindric, length 1 times calyx.
without flanged edges, reticulate.
unknown.
= 44.
Primula parryi
Primula capillaris
Primula parryi has the largest and most showy plants of the native North American primroses, growing to almost 50 centimeters in protected sites. It is common on subalpine streamsides and also occurs on the alpine tundra in wet areas near snowmelt seeps. The strong skunky odor of this species is unique in the North American primroses, often lingering even on herbarium specimens. It is the most common species of the genus in the western United States.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Of conservation concern.
Primula capillaris is narrowly distributed in the alpine tundra of the Ruby Mountains in northern Nevada. It resembles P. angustifolia; it differs in its narrow, upright leaves and smaller flowers with a bluish tint. The plants are the smallest among the species in sect. Parryi and are related to the widespread polymorphic P. cusickiana. Unlike the infraspecific varieties of P. cusickiana, P. capillaris is a morphologically well-differentiated taxon marked by its diminutive, delicate appearance and characteristic leaf shape.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CalFlora
PNW Herbaria
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
