Mistassini primrose
Primulaceae
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Fibrous-rooted, scapose, perennial herbs.
Leaves:
Leaves not succulent, oblanceolate to spade-shaped, apices acute to obtuse, bases gradually tapering to narrowly winged petiole, margins wavy to shallowly toothed (sometimes entire), sometimes revolute, glabrous, 0.5-7 cm.
Flowers:
. Inflorescences of 1-5 (10) flowers; involucral bracts lanceolate, flat, 2-6 mm. Flowers heterostylous; corollas pink to lavender (rarely white) with yellow throat, lobes moderately cleft, 8-14 mm across; calyces green, the lobes equalling or longer than the tube, glandular, 3-5 mm; pedicels slender, flexuous to erect, 5-20 mm. Flowering May-Jun.
Fruits:
Capsules cylindrical to ellipsoid, equalling or slightly exceeding the calyx; seeds lacking flanged edges.
Stems:
Scapes glabrous or sometimes yellowish-mealy when young, 5-20 cm tall.
Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014.
Author: Jamie Fenneman
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1486 | 1210 | 1990 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
21 | 0 | 65 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
225 | 225 | 225 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 3 | 5 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
|||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
3 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
ESSF(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist calcareous meadows, cliffs, streambanks, and shorelines in the montane zone. Rare in n BC, infrequent in se BC (Rocky Mts., Rocky Mtn. Trench); AK east to NU, NF, south to BC, AB, IO, NY.Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014.
Author: Jamie Fenneman
Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Primula intercedens Fernald
Primula maccalliana
Primula mistassinica var. intercedens (Fernald) B. Boivin
Primula mistassinica var. noveboracensis Fernald
Taxonomic Keys
KEY TO PRIMULA
1a. Leaves succulent, with 5-11 coarse teeth towards the apex; corollas >10 mm across; capsules globose; seeds with flanged edges …….…………………………………….……………………P. cuneifolia 1b. Leaves not succulent, entire or wavy-margined to finely denticulate; corollas usually <10 mm across (to 14 mm in P. mistassinica); capsules ovate to cylindrical; seeds without flanged edges………................................…………………….2 2a. At least some leaves tapering abruptly to long, slender petioles; plants never whitish-mealy……………….................………3 3a. Involucral bracts lanceolate, sac-shaped but without ear-shaped appendages at the base; flowers homostylous; corollas 6-10 mm wide…………………………………………………………………P. egaliksensis 3b. Involucral bracts oblong to oblong-lanceolate, with ear-shaped appendages at the base; flowers heterostylous; corollas 9-20 mm wide…………………………………………………………[P. nutans] 2b. All leaves tapering gradually to wide petioles; some plants whitish- or yellowish-mealy (especially P. incana)..……….……4 4a. Plants robust, to 45 cm tall, conspicuously whitish- or yellowish-mealy (especially on calyces, involucral bracts, and scape); corolla lavender, 2-4 mm long; calyx lobes shorter than the tube; flowers homostylous......................P. incana 4b. Plants relatively slender, to 20 cm tall, not or only slightly whitish- or yellowish-mealy; corolla lobes pink to violet (rarely white), 4-7 mm long; calyx lobes equalling or exceeding the tube; flowers heterostylous……........P. mistassinica
Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014 |
Taxonomic Notes
This species is closely associated with highly calcareous substrates throughout its range. It is best distinguished from the similar P. egaliksensis by its larger heterostylous (vs. homostylous) flowers, more broadly winged petioles (leaves less distinctly stalked than P. egaliksensis), and usually more conspicuously toothed or wavy-margined leaves. See P. egaliksensis for a cautionary note on the use of leaf shape as a means of distinguishing these two species.
Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014 |