Primrose

A collection of species of primroses suitable for cultivation in Lithuanian conditions, as well as a collection of Lithuanian primrose cultivars.

Primrose (Primula L.) is a perennial, rarely biennial or annual, herbaceous, rhizomatous plant of the primrose family (Primulaceae). The primrose genus contains 481 species and 202 subspecies and cultivars. Primroses are distributed in the temperate, subtropical and arctic zones of the Northern Hemisphere. The species' main range is western and central Europe, southern Scandinavia, the western and northern parts of European Russia, the Baltic States, Siberia, the Far East, and Mongolia. Only 33 species occur in Europe and 20 species in North America. Three species are found south of the equator in South America - P. farinosa L., P. imperialis L. and P. magelanica Lehm. Several species are found in Africa (Ethiopia) and tropical Asia (Java and Sumatra). The most important centers of diversity of primroses species are: the Eastern Himalayas; Yunnan Province in China; the Caucasus in Western Asia; the Pyrenees, Alps and Carpathian mountain ranges in Europe; the mountains of East Asia; and the mountains of Western North America.

Vilnius University Botanical Garden has a collection of primroses that showcases the taxonomic and ornamental diversity of the primrose genus suitable for cultivation in Lithuanian conditions.

Cultivation of primrose species began in England and in the gardens of other major European cities of the time, selecting the most beautiful local species. The English valued the species P. acaulis L. and the cultivars derived from it, which had leaves and flowers covered with a powdery coating. In ancient Lithuanian gardens, the following were grown and cultivated from the 16th century onwards: cowslip (P. veris L.) and bird’s-eye primrose (P. farinosa Bieb.), followed by Juliae primrose (P. juliae Kusnez.) and the common primrose (P. vulgaris Hudson.). A catalogue of greenhouse, conservatory and garden plants growing in Strumila's garden, published in Vilnius in 1818, mentions two species of primrose with different colored flowers: cowslip (P. veris L.) and auricula, mountain cowslip or bear's ear (P. auricula L.). In later references, Jundzil mentions the auricula (P. auricula L.), which is widely cultivated and has a wide range of flower sizes and colors. In the 19th century, J. Strazdas, in his book 'Nursery Garden Flowers and the Care of House Flowers', mentions the three species of primrose commonly grown in nurseries: cowslip (P. veris L.), oxlip (P. elatior (L.) L.), and P. acaulis (L.) L. The cultivation of the Giant cowslip (P. florindae Kingdon-Ward) and the drumstick primula (P. denticulata Sm.) was introduced in the later period. They started to be widely cultivated throughout Lithuania at the beginning of the 20th century.

VU Botanical Garden in Kairėnai has been cultivating primroses since 1992, where they are studied and evaluated. Particular attention is paid to the collection, study and conservation of cultivars developed by Lithuanian breeders.

Cultivars are selected for the primrose collection on the basis of their ornamental qualities. The specimens differ in inflorescence type, corolla shape and flower color. Some cultivars have striped, edged, or heavily cut petals with a powdery coating, and there are also cultivars with full flowers.

IŠSAMUS KOLEKCIJOS PRISTATYMAS (ATSISIŲSTI)

		*Juliae primrose hybrid (Primula x juliae) 'Schneeriesin'* Perennial rhizomatous plant. Belongs to the section Vernales. The rhizome is short, creeping (the rhizome even comes to the surface in old shrubs). Leaves are green, small (7-9cm long and 3cm wide), roundish-ovate, wrinkled, glossy, stalked (variegated pink), with toothed margins. Flowers white, mouths yellowish, solitary, raised above the foliage. Blooms in early April for about 30 days. Sometimes re-blooms in autumn, but only sparsely. It does not produce seeds.
		*Rosy primrose (Primula rosea* Royle) 'Gigas'** Perennial rhizomatous plant. Belongs to section Farinosea. Plant 10-25cm tall. Leaves are scrotal, lanceolate, green, tapering to the base, up to 25cm long, with crenate margins. The leaves are fully expanded when the plant overflowers. The flowers are bright pink, in umbellate inflorescences of 4-20 flowers. Inflorescence 10-25cm tall. Blooms at the end of April for about 28 days. Seeds mature.
		*Drumstick primula (Primula denticulata* Sm.) 'Alba'** Perennial rhizomatous plant. It belongs to the globular group, section Denticulata. It grows from 10 to 40cm tall. Roots are thick and long. Leaves are scrotal, elliptic, light green, tapering to the base. The margin of the petiole is finely toothed. Inflorescence is umbellate, spherical. The blooms are short at the beginning of flowering and then grow up to 30-40cm long. The flowers are small, hollow, with white petals, incised at the tip and yellow at the mouth. Flowering starts in April and lasts about a month.
		*Japanese primrose (Primula japonica* A. Gray)** Perennial rhizomatous plant. Belongs to section Proliferae (Candelabrae). Plant is 30-60cm tall. Roots are thick. Leaves are lanceolate, large (up to 25cm long and 5cm wide), toothed at the margins, light green. The flowers are purple-red, up to 3cm across. The umbellate inflorescences are arranged in whorls of 2 to 6 on the inflorescence stalk. Blooms in late May - July. Seeds mature.