Greenland primrose
Primulaceae
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Fibrous-rooted, scapose, perennial herbs.
Leaves:
Leaves not succulent, ovate or oblong to oblanceolate or spade-shaped, apices rounded, bases tapering abruptly to slender unwinged petiole, entire to wavy-margined (sometimes slightly toothed), glabrous, 0.5-5 cm.
Flowers:
Inflorescences of 1-3 (6) flowers; involucral bracts lanceolate, sac-shaped at the base, lacking ear-shaped appendages at the base, 2-6 mm. Flowers homostylous; corollas white to lavender with a yellow throat, lobes shallowly cleft, 6-10 mm wide; calyces green, often with purple stripes, lobes equal to or shorter than the tube, lobes equal to or shorter than the tube, finely glandular-hairy along the margins, sometimes whitish-mealy within, 4-7 mm; pedicels flexuous, 2-9 mm. Flowering Jul-Aug.
Fruits:
Capsules narrowly cylindrical, 1.5-2 times the calyx length; seeds without flanged edges.
Stems:
Scapes glabrous to sparsely glandular-hairy, not whitish-mealy, 4-25 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) |
676 | 676 | 676 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
0 | ||
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
8 | 8 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
E | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BWBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet meadows, streambanks, shorelines, and marshes (often in areas of calcareous substrates) in the montane, subalpine, and alpine zones. Infrequent in n BC (north of 58°N), rare in se BC (Rocky Mts.); AK east to NF, south to BC, AB, disjunct in CO, WY; Greenland; e Asia.Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014.
Author: Jamie Fenneman
Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Primula groenlandica (Warming) W.W. Sm. & G. Forrest
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 presence of distinctly petiolate leaves is an important feature in distinguishing this species from the similar P. mistassinica, many individuals show only a few such leaves alongside leaves with broadly winged petioles that are otherwise similar to those of P. mistassinica; caution is thus advised when applying this criterion.
The very similar Primula nutans Georgi (SIBERIAN PRIMROSE) [= P. sibirica Jacq.], could potentially occur in extreme northwestern B.C., is best distinguished from P. egaliksensis by the ear-shaped appendages at the base of its oblong involucral bracts, heterostylous flowers, and wider corollas (9-20 mm wide). Primula egaliksensis, in contrast, in contrast, has narrower, lanceolate involucral bracts that are sac-shaped at the base but lack the prominent ear-shaped lobes. Morphologic and genetic studies have suggested that P. egaliksensis through hybridization between P. nutans and P. mistassinica.
Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014 |