Fooling Around

In the UK we have a few Primula species we call native, the most known 3 are P. vulgaris Common Primrose, P. veris Cowslip and P. elatior Oxslip

It's not ususual to see Primroses and Cowslips along hedgerows, embankments and the like, but Oxslip is sadly now a rarity and I believe Anglia is one of the few areas you can still find them in the wild.

There is an 'Oxslip' that grows everywhere you will find the other prims. The chappy in the photo looks like an Oxslip, smells like an Oxslip and (unless you are a gormet slug) he probably tastes like an Oxslip too but he's an imposter out to fool us all.

I grow all of the above species but this one hasn't a jot of elatior in him, he's a hybrid between P. vulgaris and P. veris and has been popping up all over the garden for a good long time. Unfortunately, this is the hybrid that is often sold as Oxslip in UK garden centres.

When P. elatior flowers in the next few weeks I'll post a pic up for comparison.

When the old primrose bloom, I'll take a pic and post it. I think they were part of the booty that came from England to Connecticut witht he family that owned this farm before us. They are the people who brought the roses.

They (the prims) look very like this.

(and don't give up, I'll get a note off to you soon!)
((((()))))

You may have an Oxslip then Kathleen! I look forward to seeing them :)

Baa, here are my little old primroses - probably the same as those you posted earlier:

I think you may have Oxslips Kathleen!

I can't quite see clearly enough to be definite but the calyces on the Oxslip are long, fine and drawn out to a point, on my photo you can just see the calyces end quite abruptly a little way behind the flower, yours appears to go much closer to the bloom. I notice the blooms don't have those orange spots although that's not necessarily a definite indicator. When it sets seed the seed capsule will be as long as the calyces which is another species indicator, also are they generally secund or do they open out polyanthus like?

I've taken some photos with the "good" camera - 35 mm, macro lens - and I'll post when they come back. The calyces do go all the way to the flower and they stay slighty cupped in in bloom. My polyanthas open much wider than these. I can't say anything about the seed pods, as I have never noticed them. I'll be sure to make more of an effort this year.