Primula specuicola
Primula cuneifolia
alcove primrose, cave primrose, cave-dwelling primrose
wedge-leaf primrose
not aromatic, indistinctly petiolate;
petiole broadly winged;
blade without deep reticulate veins abaxially, spatulate, 8–15 × 2 cm, thin, margins irregularly and sharply dentate to sinuate-dentate, apex obtuse to acute, surfaces glabrous.
not aromatic, petiolate;
petiole winged;
blade without deep reticulate veins abaxially, broadly cuneate, 1–6 × 0.8–1 cm, succulent, margins coarsely dentate, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous.
(6–)10–25-flowered;
involucral bracts plane, ± equal.
1–9-flowered;
involucral bracts plane, unequal.
erect, thin, 10–30 mm, length 2–5 times bracts, flexuous.
erect, somewhat capillary, 3–20 mm, length 2–4 times bracts, flexuous.
heterostylous;
calyx green, campanulate, 3–5 mm;
corolla lavender, tube 8–10 mm, length 2 times calyx, eglandular, limb 10–16 mm diam., lobes 5–8 mm, apex emarginate.
heterostylous or homostylous;
calyx green, urceolate, 4–6 mm;
corolla rose-pink, tube 4–6 mm, length 1–1.2 times calyx, glandular, limb 10–25 mm diam., lobes 5–10 mm, apex deeply cleft.
ellipsoid, length 1–2 times calyx.
globose, length 0.6–0.8 times calyx.
without flanged edges, reticulate.
with flanged edges, reticulate.
= 18.
Primula specuicola
Primula cuneifolia
Primula specuicola has relatively large corollas, relatively long pedicels, and irregularly and sharply dentate to sinuate-dentate leaves with conspicuous farina. It is a characteristic member of hanging-garden communities along the canyon walls of the Colorado River and its tributaries. Plants with a more exserted capsule were given the name P. hunnewellii; this appears to be only a minor variant that does not warrant infraspecific recognition.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
Heterostylous representatives of Primula cuneifolia occur primarily in Asia, where this form predominates and the homostylous taxon is quite rare. It is not known whether the Asian homostyles are directly related to the North American complex, or, alternatively, represent separate mutations to homostyly from the Asian heterostylous stock; additional genetic studies are needed to assess these relationships. In North America, the heterostylous subsp. cuneifolia has been found only in the western Aleutian Islands. The homostylous subsp. saxifragifolia is found throughout most of Alaska and south to Vancouver Island. The subspecies differ somewhat in their vegetative morphology. Subspecies saxifragifolia typically has shorter scapes and petioles and fewer flowers than subsp. cuneifolia; these characters overlap and may correlate at least in part to environmental factors.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Flowers heterostylous. | subsp. cuneifolia |
1. Flowers homostylous. | subsp. saxifragifolia |
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
BC
PNW Herbaria
