Primula was known at least as early as the mediaeval
herbalists, although first formally described as a
genus by
Linnaeus in 1753, and later in 1754 in his
Flora Anglica. Linnaeus described seven species of
Primula. One of its earliest scientific treatments was that of
Charles Darwin study of
heterostyly in 1877 (
The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species). Since then, heterostyly (and homostyly) have remained important considerations in the
taxonomic classification of Primula. Primula is a member of the Primulaceae
family. The most complete treatment of the family, with nearly 1000
species arranged into 22 genera, was by
Pax and
Knuth in 1905.
Phylogeny Primula is the largest genus in the family
Primulaceae, within which it is placed in the subfamily
Primuloideae, being the nominative genus. The position of
Primula within the family and its relationship to other genera is shown in this
cladogram: }}
Classification The genus
Dodecatheon originated from within
Primula, its species are now included in
Primula.
Sections of genus Primula The classification of the genus
Primula has been investigated by botanists for over a century. As the genus is both large and diverse (with about 430–500 species), botanists have organized the species in various sub-generic groups. The most common is division into a series of thirty sections. Some of these sections (e.g.
Vernales,
Auricula) contain many species; others contain only one. •
Amethystina •
Auricula •
Bullatae •
Candelabra •
Capitatae •
Carolinella •
Cortusoides •
Cuneifolia •
Denticulata •
Dryadifolia •
Farinosae •
Floribundae •
Grandis •
Malacoidea •
Malvacea •
Minutissimae •
Muscaroides •
Nivales •
Obconica •
Parryi •
Petiolares •
Pinnatae •
Pycnoloba •
Reinii •
Rotundifolia •
Sikkimensis •
Sinenses •
Soldanelloideae •
Souliei •
Vernales Selected species Species include: •
Primula alcalina (bluedome primrose) •
Primula algida •
Primula aliciae •
Primula allionii (Allioni's primrose) •
Primula alpicola (moonlight primrose) •
Primula amethystina •
Primula angustifolia (alpine primrose) •
Primula anisodora (anise primrose) •
Primula anvilensis (boreal primrose) •
Primula appenina •
Primula arunachalensis •
Primula atrodentata •
Primula aurantiaca (
primevère à fleurs oranges) •
Primula aureata •
Primula auricula (auricula, bear's ear) •
Primula auriculata •
Primula bathangensis •
Primula beesiana (candelabra primrose) •
Primula bella •
Primula bellidifolia •
Primula bergenioides •
Primula bhutanica •
Primula blattariformis •
Primula boothii •
Primula borealis (northern primrose) •
Primula bracteosa •
Primula bulleyana (candelabra primrose)
ssp. mooreana'' '' •
Primula calderiana •
Primula calliantha •
Primula calyptrata •
Primula capillaris (Ruby Mountain primrose) •
Primula capitata •
Primula capitata ssp.
mooreana •
Primula capitata ssp.
crispata •
Primula capitellata •
Primula carniolica (Carniolan primrose) •
Primula caveana •
Primula cawdoriana •
Primula cernua •
Primula chionantha •
Primula chumbiensis •
Primula chungensis •
Primula chasmophila •
Primula clarkei •
Primula clusiana •
Primula clutterbuckii •
Primula cockburniana •
Primula concholoba •
Primula concinna •
Primula conspersa •
Primula cortusoides •
Primula cuneifolia (wedgeleaf primrose, pixie-eye primrose) •
Primula cusickiana (Cusick's primrose) •
Primula daonensis •
Primula darialica •
Primula davidii •
Primula deflexa •
Primula denticulata (drumstick primrose, Himalayan primrose) •
Primula deorum (Rila primrose, Rila cowslip, God's cowslip) •
Primula deuteronana •
Primula dryadifolia •
Primula edgeworthii •
Primula egaliksensis (Greenland primrose) •
Primula elatior (oxlip, true oxlip, oxslip) •
Primula elizabethiae •
Primula elongata •
Primula erythrocarpa •
Primula farinosa (birdseye primrose) •
Primula farreriana •
Primula fedschenkoi •
Primula fenghwaiana •
Primula filchnerae •
Primula filipes •
Primula firmipes •
Primula fistulosa •
Primula flaccida •
Primula floribunda •
Primula florindae (Himalayan cowslip, Tibetan cowslip) •
Primula forrestii •
Primula frondosa •
Primula gambeliana •
Primula gemmifera •
Primula geraniifolia •
Primula giraldiana •
Primula glabra •
Primula glaucescens •
Primula glomerata •
Primula glutinosa •
Primula gracilenta •
Primula gracillipes •
Primula griffithii •
Primula halleri (long-flowered primrose, Haller's primrose) •
Primula helodoxa •
Primula hendersonii (broad-leaved shootingstar, Henderson's shootingstar, mosquito-bill, sailor caps) •
Primula heucherifolia •
Primula hirsuta (hairy primrose) •
Primula hookeri •
Primula incana (silvery primrose, mealy primrose) •
Primula interjacens •
Primula involucrata •
Primula ioessa •
Primula irregularis •
Primula japonica (Japanese primrose, Japanese cowslip) •
Primula jesoana •
Primula jigmediana •
Primula juliae (Julia's primrose, purple primrose) •
Primula kingii •
Primula kisoana •
Primula kitaibeliana (Kitaibel's primrose) •
Primula klattii •
Primula laurentiana (birdseye primrose) •
Primula lihengiana •
Primula listeri •
Primula longiscapa •
Primula lutea •
Primula luteola •
Primula macrophylla (largeleaf primrose) •
Primula magellanica •
Primula malacoides (fairy primrose, baby primrose) •
Primula malvacea •
Primula marginata (marginate primrose) •
Primula megaseifolia •
Primula melanantha •
Primula melanops •
Primula minima (dwarf primrose) •
Primula minor •
Primula mistassinica (Mistassini primrose) •
Primula modesta •
Primula mollis •
Primula moupinensis '' '' •
Primula munroi •
Primula muscarioides •
Primula nipponica •
Primula nivalis (snowy primrose) •
Primula obconica (poison primrose, German primrose) •
Primula orbicularis '' •
Primula palinuri •
Primula parryi (Parry's primrose) •
Primula pedemontana •
Primula petelotii (Scandinavian primrose) •
Primula scapigera •
Primula scotica (Scottish primrose) •
Primula secundiflora •
Primula septemloba •
Primula serratifolia •
Primula sheriffii •
Primula sieboldii (Japanese primrose) •
Primula sikkimensis (Sikkim cowslip) •
Primula sinensis (syn.
P. praenitens) •
Primula sinolisteri •
Primula sinomollis •
Primula soldanelloides •
Primula sonchifolia •
Primula souliei •
Primula spectabilis •
Primula specuicola (alcove primrose, cave-dwelling primrose) •
Primula stricta (coastal primrose, strict primrose) •
Primula strumosa •
Primula suffrutescens (Sierra primrose) •
Primula szechuanica •
Primula takedana •
Primula tanneri •
Primula tardiflora •
Primula tenella •
Primula tenuiloba •
Primula tenuituba (yellow primrose) •
Primula vialii (wayside primrose, pagoda primrose, orchid primrose, poker primrose) •
Primula villosa •
Primula vulgaris (primrose) •
Primula waltonii •
Primula watsonii •
Primula warshenewskiana •
Primula whitei •
Primula wilsonii •
Primula wollastonii (Wollaston's primrose) •
Primula wulfeniana (Wulfen's primrose) •
Primula xanthopa •
Primula yunnanensis •
Primula yuparensis Etymology The word
primula is the Latin feminine
diminutive of
primus, meaning first (prime), applied to flowers that are among the first to open in spring. ==Distribution and habitat==