Primulaceae: Primula laurentiana Fern.
(bird's-eye primula, cowslip)
Primula laurentiana is mostly a boreal or alpine perennial herb growing mainly in calcareous areas in meadows, and on basalt cliffs and ledges. The lilac-coloured flowers form an umbel atop a long stalk between 10 and 40 cm high. The tubular corolla expands into five notched petals. The style and anthers are enclosed within a yellow-throated tubular calyx. Spatulate-shaped dentate leaves form a basal rosette with the undersides of the leaves coated in a mealy powder. Flowering time is late May-July depending on the location. Bird's-eye primula is apparently secure in Ontario and Quebec, critically imperiled in New Brunswick, vulnerable in Nova Scotia, not found in Prince Edward Island, not ranked in Labrador and Newfoundland, and in Maine, the only state where it is found, it is imperiled.
Sources | Selected Web Resources | Line Drawing
| May 30, 2005 Digby County, Brier Island. Photographer: Ocotillo. |
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Selected Web Resources
- Taxonomic Status (ITIS) Copy the species name above and paste it into a form on this ITIS Canada page to confirm the nomenclature and list synonyms.
- NatureServe Explorer Copy the species name above and paste it into a form on this page to view a map of its distribution within North America and its conservation status by province and state.
Page posted 7 Oct. 2007. Modified 19 Nov. 2009
Copyright © Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society and Photographers