Primulaceae Ventenat
Primrose family.
Primulaceae, primrose family.
Vegetative morphology. Plants dwarf shrubs, or low shrubs, or mid shrubs; 2–30 cm high; with simple leaves and regular, flowers with fused petals with stamens attached. Taproot present, or absent. Caudex present, or absent. Ground-level or under-ground stems horizontal, or not developed horizontally or vertically; stoloniferous (if applicable); elongate, or compact; 0.4–0.6 mm wide (if applicable). Vegetative, aerial, stem a small transition zone between roots and basal leaves; aerial stems erect (usually solitary, below the umbel). Leaves in a basal tuft, or basal in a rosette; alternate, or whorled. Petioles present, or absent; 3–10 mm long (if applicable); glabrous (if present). Leaf blade bases truncate. Blades 2–20 mm long; 1–8 mm wide. Blades linear, or lanceolate, or oblanceolate, or obovate; flat; veins pinnate, or appearing single-veined. Blades adaxial surface glabrous, or hairy. Blades adaxial surface hairs villous; simple, unbranched, or branched; sparse, or moderately dense, or dense; white and translucent. Blades abaxial surface glabrous, or hairy. Blades abaxial surface hairs sparse; white, or translucent hairs. Blade margins entire, or serrulate (very slightly); glabrous, or with non-glandular hairs; with teeth toward the apex (if applicable). Leaf apices acuminate, or acute, or obtuse, or rounded.
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems present. Flowering stems without leaves; glabrous, or hairy. Flowers solitary (rarely), or in inflorescences. Inflorescence an umbel (usually); 0.5–5 cm long; 5–10(–13) mm wide. Pedicels present. Flowers per inflorescence (1–)2–16; small, less than 5 mm in diameter or length. Calyx sepals 5; fused; 2–8 mm long. Calyx green; herbaceous, or fleshy (slightly in Primula); bell-shaped, or funnel-form; 5-lobed; glabrous, or hairy; puberulent, or villous. Calyx hairs glandular, or non-glandular; white or translucent. Petals fused (with a constricted throat, and spreading, lobed petals); white, or yellow, or purple; with contrasting markings (in the form of colour gradations), or without contrasting markings; 4–10 mm long. Corolla rotate, or campanulate; 5-lobed. Stamens 5; fused to the corolla. Anthers yellow; 0.4–1 mm long. Gynoecia superior. Carpels syncarpous; 5. Ovaries subglobose; glabrous. Styles 1. Stigmas per style 1; capitate. Placentation free central. Fruit with calyx persisting; dry; a capsule; elongate-cylindrical, or bell-shaped; dehiscent; splitting to the base into separate segments. Fruit 2–4 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; black, or brown, or golden brown. Seeds 5–100; 0.4–1.6 mm long; brown; with surfaces smooth, or verrucose, or reticulate.
Cite this publication as: ‘S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.L. Consaul, C.L. McJannet, L.J. Gillespie, R.L. Boles, G.W. Argus, J.M. Gillett, P.J. Scott, R. Elven, M.C. LeBlanc, A.K. Brysting and H. Solstad. 1999 onwards. Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 29th April 2003. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/’. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).