wedge-leaved primrose
Primulaceae
Introduction to Vascular Plants
.jpg){kind=link}
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Species Information
General:
Fibrous-rooted, scapose, perennial herbs
Leaves:
Leaves succulent, oblanceolate to obovate, apices obtuse, bases tapering gradually to short broad petiole, succulent, coarsely toothed with 5-11 teeth, glabrous, 1-2 cm.
Flowers:
Inflorescences of 1-4 flowers; involucral bracts lanceolate to awl-like, glandular-hairy, flat, not sac-shaped, lacking ear-like appendages at the base. Flowers homostylous; corollas pink to rose (rarely white) with a yellow throat, lobes deeply cleft; 10-20 (25) mm wide; calyces green, lobes longer than the tube, glandular-hairy, 3-6 mm; pedicels erect to flexuous, 1-10 mm long. Flowering Jul-Aug.
Fruits:
Capsules globose, not exceeding the calyx; seeds with flanged edges.
Stems:
Scapes distally glandular-hairy, not whitish-mealy, 2-5 cm tall..
Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014.
Author: Jamie Fenneman
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) |
1160 | 1160 | 1160 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
0 | ||
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
1 | 1 | 1 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
|||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BAFA | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BAFA(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to wet heath, meadows, tundra, and rocky slopes (especially over granitic substrates) in the subalpine and alpine zones. Rare in nw BC, rare and disjunct in sw BC (n Vancouver Island); north to AK; e Asia.Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014.
Author: Jamie Fenneman
Status Information
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
Although the flowers are exceptionally showy, the plant itself is generally very tiny and can easily be overlooked. The large flowers, tiny plants, coarsely-toothed succulent leaves, globose capsules, and occurrence on acidic (granitic) rather than basic substrates render this among the most distinctive of the province’s Primula species. It is also the only Primula species that occurs in coastal B.C.
Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014 |