Primula farinosa, the bird's-eye primrose, is a small perennial plant in the family Primulaceae, native to Northern Europe and further south at high altitudes in the mountains of southern Europe. It is also widespread in northern and central Asia. This primrose thrives on grazed meadows rich in lime and moisture.
Description Bird's-eye primrose is a herbaceous plant with a flowering stem that may reach . However, like all primulas its leaves are all basal, attached directly to the base of the plant. Their leaves can measure long by 3 to 20 millimeters wide. Their shape ranges from oblanceolate to elliptical with a wide angled end and smooth or finely toothed edges. Plants can be farinose, covered in powder, or lack it, but are usually at least farinose on the underside of the leaves. The mealy powder ranges in color from white to sulfur.
The inflorescence it atop a scape, a leafless stem, that will measure 3 to 20 cm tall with two to twenty flowers. The flowers are between 8 and 16 mm in diameter and are usually lilac-pink, but can occasionally be white or purple.
Taxonomy Primula farinosa was given its scientific name by Linnaeus in 1753. It is classified as part of the genus Primula in the family Primulaceae. It is a diploid species that is most closely related to Primula scotica. It has no recognized subspecies or varieties, but it has synonyms.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Notes Aleuritia farinosa 1839 species ≡ hom. Aleuritia farinosa subsp. alpigena 1979 subspecies = het. Androsace farinosa 1815 species ≡ hom. Cankrienia farinosa 1854 species ≡ hom. Primula altaica 1817 species = het. Primula davurica 1817 species = het., nom. illeg. Primula exaltata 1817 species = het. Primula farinosa f. alba 2003 form = het.Primula farinosa subvar. albiflora 1917 subvariety = het. Primula farinosa subsp. alpigena 1968 subspecies = het. Primula farinosa var. americana 1824 variety = het. Primula farinosa var. chrysophylla 1856 variety = het. Primula farinosa var. commutata 1887 variety = het. Primula farinosa f. exscapa 1824 form = het. Primula farinosa var. genuina 1888 variety ≡ hom., not validly publ. Primula farinosa var. koreana 2003 variety = het. Primula farinosa var. leucophylla 1856 variety = het. Primula farinosa var. nana 2002 variety = het. Primula farinosa f. nivea 2003 form = het. Primula farinosa var. pygmaea 1828 variety = het. Primula farinosa var. stricta 1824 variety = het. Primula farinosa subsp. xanthophylla 1939 subspecies = het. Primula farinosa var. xanthophylla 1856 variety = het. Primula gigantea 1817 species = het., nom. illeg. Primula lepida 1844 species = het. Primula modesta f. alba 1948 form = het. Primula modesta f. nivea 1948 form = het. Primula undulata 1827 species = het. Primula warei 1882 species = het. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym
Range and habitat
Primula farinosa is widespread in Europe and Asia according to Plants of the World Online. In Europe it is native as far west as Spain, France, and Great Britain. It grows in central and southern Europe including Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland. In northern Europe it is found in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic States. It is listed as locally extinct in Czechia by the IUCN. In the southeast it is part of the flora of Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine. In European Russia it grows in the northwest, north, and east. On the Novaya Zemlya archipelago it reaches 72° N.
In Asia it is native as far south as the central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, and Tadzhikistan. It grows in all Asian Russia from western Siberia to the Magadan Oblast and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. It also grows on the Russian controlled Kuril Islands. To the south it is found in Mongolia and two parts of China, Manchuria and Inner Mongolia.
The species favors alkaline soils and is found in marshes, peatlands, and damp meadows. It tends to be found in mountainous areas.
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