Primula specuicola
Primula tschuktschorum
alcove primrose, cave primrose, cave-dwelling primrose
Chukchi 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, indistinctly petiolate;
petiole winged;
blade without deep reticulate veins abaxially, linear-lanceolate, 4–5 × 0.2–0.4 cm, fleshy, margins entire or remotely denticulate, apex acute, surfaces glabrous.
(6–)10–25-flowered;
involucral bracts plane, ± equal.
1–3(–6)-flowered;
involucral bracts plane at base, ± equal.
erect, thin, 10–30 mm, length 2–5 times bracts, flexuous.
erect to slightly reflexed, somewhat thick, 2–10 mm, length ca. 1–2 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;
calyx green or greenish black, campanulate, 5–7 mm;
corolla rose-magenta, tube 5–7 mm, length 1 times calyx, eglandular, limb 10–20 mm diam., lobes 5–10 mm, apex unlobed or rarely cleft to base.
ellipsoid, length 1–2 times calyx.
broadly cylindric, length 2 times calyx.
without flanged edges, reticulate.
without flanged edges, vesiculate.
= 18.
= 22.
Primula specuicola
Primula tschuktschorum
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.)
Primula tschuktschorum has a long history of taxonomic confusion with its close relative P. pumila, from which it is distinguished by its heterostylous flowers, more delicate appearance, and lack of farina. It appears to be restricted in North America to the Bering Strait region of Alaska between the Seward Peninsula and Bristol Bay, where it grows occasionally in coastal areas and more commonly at higher elevations in the mountains around late-lying snowbanks.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
