Author

G & P Jürgens

Primulaceae

Primula macrophylla var. moorcroftiana 

by G & P Jürgens

(Wall. ex Klatt) W.W. Sm. & H.R. Fletcher

Nepal 99 616 ergebnis
West-Nepal Kagmara-La 4300m, July
Nepal 99 617 ergebnis
West-Nepal Kagmara-La 4300m, July

Description

Primula macrophylla var. moorcroftiana is a high-alpine perennial distributed across the western and central Himalaya and adjoining Central Asian ranges, with GBIF documenting some 172 occurrences from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and China (Tibet). It inhabits open alpine meadows, moist screes, grazed turf and the margins of snowmelt flushes, typically between 3500 and 5000 m. The photographed plant was recorded at the Kagmara-La in West Nepal at 4300 m in July, a phenology typical of the taxon, which flowers as the snow recedes on cool, humus-rich substrates kept moist through the early monsoon.

The plant forms a stout rosette arising from a short rhizome clothed in persistent leaf-bases and farinose remains. The leaves are large for the genus, oblong-lanceolate to elliptic, entire to obscurely toothed, tapering gradually to a winged petiole and frequently coated beneath with white or yellowish farina. The scape is erect and conspicuously mealy, bearing a dense terminal umbel of several heterostylous flowers. The corolla is funnelform with a slender tube exceeding the campanulate calyx, the limb violet to purple with a paler or yellow eye and notched lobes. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule dehiscing by apical valves to release numerous small angular seeds.

Placed in Primula sect. Crystallophlomis (the nivalis alliance), the variety moorcroftiana is distinguished from typical P. macrophylla by its larger, more farinose foliage and robust habit. GBIF retains the name as accepted. As a snowbed and meadow specialist, it is sensitive to altered snow-lie and intensified summer grazing, though its broad transmontane range buffers it against immediate threat.

Author: (Wall. ex Klatt) W.W. Sm. & H.R. Fletcher · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Pakistan, Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, Smith & Fletcher monograph of Primula

Primulaceae

Primula nutans

by G & P Jürgens

Georgi

Nepal 99 434 ergebnis
West-Nepal Chautabise-Khola 2800m, June

Description

Primula nutans Georgi is a circumboreal to continental Asian perennial with one of the broadest ranges in the genus, the GBIF dataset listing more than 11,700 occurrences across Fennoscandia (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark), Russia, Greenland, North America (Canada, United States), Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia) and into China, with disjunct southern records reaching India and Nepal. It is a plant of moist, often saline or calcareous habitats: coastal meadows, lake and river shores, damp turf, marshy flushes and seepage slopes. The illustrated material from the Chautabise-Khola in west Nepal at 2800 m in June represents the species near the southern, montane edge of its enormous Holarctic distribution, where it persists in damp grassy ground.

It is a small, glabrous perennial herb arising from a slender rootstock, lacking the farinose (mealy) covering of many congeners. The leaves form a basal rosette and are oblong to spatulate or elliptic, entire to faintly toothed, narrowing into a winged petiole. From the rosette rises a slender, leafless scape bearing a terminal umbel of a few nodding flowers, the nodding habit giving the epithet nutans. Each flower has a tubular, five-lobed calyx and a salverform corolla of pink to lilac-purple with a yellow eye, the lobes shallowly notched. The species is typically homostylous in many populations. The fruit is a cylindrical to ovoid capsule that opens by apical valves to shed numerous small seeds.

Primula nutans belongs to section Armerina, a group of small, often coastal or wetland primulas with farina-free foliage and nodding flowers, and has at times been treated under the names P. sibirica or P. finmarchica, reflecting taxonomic revision of this widespread aggregate. Its tolerance of saline and seasonally flooded ground is ecologically distinctive within the genus. Although globally secure given its vast range, peripheral and lowland populations, particularly along Baltic and Arctic coasts, are vulnerable to habitat loss, drainage and shoreline development, and are locally protected.

Author: Georgi · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora Nordica, John Richards – Primula (monograph)

Primulaceae

Primula prenantha

by G & P Jürgens

Balf.f. & W.W.Sm.

Sikkim 2006 435 ergebnis
Sikkim 2006 361 ergebnis
India West-Bengal, Tamrong 2750m, May

Description

Primula prenantha is a small perennial herb distributed across the eastern Himalaya and adjacent mountains, with GBIF recording it from China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan across some 93 georeferenced occurrences. It is a plant of moist, cool montane habitats, favouring stream margins, seepage slopes, wet meadows and the edges of evergreen and mixed broad-leaved forest, typically between about 2400 and 3600 m. The photographed population at Tamrong in West Bengal, at roughly 2750 m, flowering in May, is characteristic of this damp temperate belt where snowmelt keeps the ground saturated through the early growing season.

The plant forms a small basal rosette arising from a short rhizome with fibrous roots. The leaves are obovate to oblong-spathulate, narrowing gradually into a winged petiole, with a crenate to denticulate margin and an obtuse apex; the lamina is thin, glabrous and not farinose. From the rosette rises a slender erect scape bearing a terminal umbel of few to several nodding flowers subtended by small linear bracts. The flowers are heterostylous; the calyx is tubular-campanulate and lobed, and the corolla is yellow with a narrow tube and spreading, often emarginate lobes forming a flat or slightly cupped limb. The fruit is a small cylindrical capsule that dehisces by apical valves to release numerous minute seeds.

The species belongs to Primula section Sikkimensis (in the broad sense, allied to the yellow-flowered Petiolares-Sikkimensis assemblage), a group centred on the Sino-Himalayan region whose diversification tracks the uplift of the Himalaya and the associated humid monsoon gradients. Its dependence on cool, perennially moist microhabitats makes it sensitive to changes in snowpack and montane hydrology, and like many Sino-Himalayan primulas it is locally rather than broadly distributed. It is not currently regarded as globally threatened, but its narrow ecological tolerance warrants attention under warming and drying climatic scenarios.

Author: Balf.f. & W.W.Sm. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, John Richards "Primula" (monograph)

Primulaceae

Primula reidii

by G & P Jürgens

Duthie

Nepal 99 515 ergebnis
West-Nepal Churta-Khola 3800m, June
Nepal 99 804 ergebnis
West-Nepal Baga-La-Phedi 4350m, July
Nepal 99 461 ergebnis
West-Nepal Naphukana 2830m, June

Description

Primula reidii is a celebrated alpine primrose of the western and central Himalaya, with about 80 GBIF occurrences recorded from Nepal, India and Pakistan. It is a plant of cool, humid high-elevation habitats, growing among moist rocks, on shaded ledges, in crevices and on steep banks where seepage and snowmelt maintain constant moisture. The documented localities span a wide altitudinal range, from Naphukana in West Nepal at about 2830 m and Churta-Khola at 3800 m in June to Baga-La-Phedi at around 4350 m in July, confirming its occurrence from the upper temperate well into the alpine zone during the early monsoon flowering season.

It is a perennial rosette herb, the leaves clustered at the base into a rosette, oblong to oblanceolate, soft-textured, crenate to toothed, and frequently bearing a white or yellowish farinose (mealy) coating on the scape, calyx and leaf undersides. The flowers are borne in a terminal umbel or short head on a leafless scape, subtended by an involucre; each has a tubular, farinose, five-lobed calyx and a bell-shaped (campanulate), nodding corolla. The famously fragrant flowers are white to pale blue with five rounded, often notched lobes. The species is typically homostylous, and the fruit is a small capsule releasing numerous fine seeds.

The genus Primula reaches its greatest diversity in the Sino-Himalayan mountains, and P. reidii, described by Duthie, belongs to the bell-flowered alpine assemblage traditionally placed in section Soldanelloides, esteemed by horticulturists for its scented, nodding bells. It is a much-admired but somewhat localised alpine restricted to specific moist rock habitats; while not formally assessed as threatened, such niche-restricted alpines are sensitive to collection pressure, grazing and the warming-driven desiccation of high-altitude seeps.

Author: Duthie · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Nepal, Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, Richards Primula, Smith & Fletcher revision of Primula

Primulaceae

Primula rosea

by G & P Jürgens

Royle

Garh 07 407 ergebnis
India Garhwal Khiar Kutti 4000m, June

Description

Primula rosea is a western Himalayan alpine endemic distributed through northern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and adjacent China, with GBIF recording around 255 occurrences, supplemented by numerous cultivated records in Europe and North America where it is grown as an ornamental. It is a true marsh-dweller of the high alpine zone, generally between roughly 3000 and 4300 m, the photographed plant coming from Khiar Kutti in Indian Garhwal at 4000 m, flowering in June at snowmelt. It grows in boggy alpine meadows, beside streams and springs, in seepage flushes and on wet turf, often forming spectacular rose-pink colonies as the snow recedes.

The species is a small, tufted, rosette-forming perennial herb with short rhizomes, the basal leaves developing fully only after flowering. These are oblong-obovate to oblanceolate, narrowed to a winged petiole, finely toothed and bright green, more or less glabrous and lacking the mealy farina of some congeners. The leafless scape bears an umbel of a few to several flowers; each flower is rich rose-pink to carmine with a contrasting yellow eye, the corolla salverform with a slender tube and spreading, notched lobes, and the species is heterostylous (pin and thrum). The fruit is a small capsule shedding numerous seeds.

Primula rosea belongs to section Aleuritia (the farinose primroses) within the large Holarctic genus Primula, though it is itself essentially efarinose. Its heterostyly enforces outcrossing by insect pollinators active in the brief alpine season. Locally abundant in suitable wet habitats and not globally threatened, it is nonetheless a habitat specialist whose marshy alpine flushes are sensitive to grazing, trampling and hydrological change.

Author: Royle · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Pakistan, Flora Simlensis, Flora of British India (Hooker), Richards Primula (monograph), Smith & Fletcher The Genus Primula

Primulaceae

Primula sharmae

by G & P Jürgens

H.R.Fletcher

Nepal 99 575 ergebnis
West-Nepal Bheri-Khola 2850m, July
Nepal 99 574 ergebnis
West-Nepal Bheri-Khola 2850m, July

Description

Primula sharmae is a narrowly distributed primrose apparently endemic to Nepal, where it is the sole region documented in GBIF among its roughly 72 occurrence records. It is a plant of cool, humid montane environments, occupying moist rocky slopes, shaded banks, ledges and the margins of streams and forest in the temperate Himalayan zone. The population photographed along the Bheri-Khola in West Nepal at about 2850 m in July was recorded during the monsoon, the principal flowering and growth period when persistent cloud and rainfall keep these slopes saturated and favour the moisture-demanding primulas.

It is a perennial rosette herb, the leaves crowded at the base into a basal rosette, oblong to oblanceolate or spathulate, with toothed or crenate margins and gradually tapering into a winged petiole; the foliage and scape may bear a fine farinose (mealy) covering characteristic of many Himalayan primulas. The flowers are borne in a terminal umbel atop a leafless scape, subtended by an involucre of bracts; each flower has a tubular, five-lobed calyx and a salverform corolla with a slender tube and five spreading, often notched (emarginate) lobes. The species is heterostylous, presenting pin and thrum floral morphs, and the fruit is a small dehiscent capsule releasing numerous seeds.

The genus Primula is exceptionally diverse in the Himalaya, where many species are narrow endemics confined to particular valley systems, and P. sharmae, described by H.R.Fletcher, is one such restricted-range taxon. Endemic primulas with limited known distributions are of inherent conservation interest, as small populations tied to specific moist microhabitats are vulnerable to disturbance, grazing and climatic drying. Continued field documentation across western Nepal would help clarify its true range and population status.

Author: H.R.Fletcher · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Nepal, Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, Richards Primula, Smith & Fletcher revision of Primula

Primulaceae

Primula spathulifolia

by G & P Jürgens

Craib

Nepal 99 601 ergebnis
Nepal Kagmara-La4800m, July

Description

Primula spathulifolia Craib is a high-alpine herb of the central and eastern Himalaya, recorded from India, Nepal and Bhutan (IN, NP, BT), with GBIF documenting some 25 occurrences across this restricted range. It grows in the upper alpine and subnival belt, typically between about 4000 and 5000 m on damp gravelly slopes and snow-melt flushes. The material from the Kagmara-La in Nepal at 4800 m in July shows its flowering shortly after snow-melt, when the brief alpine summer permits rapid growth and anthesis.

The species forms a small, neat rosette arising from a short rootstock, the leaves spathulate to narrowly oblanceolate as the epithet indicates, with a tapering base, an entire to obscurely toothed margin and an efarinose to lightly farinose surface. The scape is short, bearing one to several flowers in a terminal umbel. The corolla is rose-purple to violet with a paler or yellowish eye, the limb divided into obcordate, emarginate lobes spreading from a slender tube; the calyx is campanulate and the flowers heterostylous in the typical primuloid manner. The fruit is a small capsule releasing numerous minute seeds dispersed by wind and water.

Within Primula, P. spathulifolia belongs among the small-statured rosette-forming alpines, part of a complex of dwarf Sino-Himalayan species adapted to extreme altitudes. Its narrow distribution makes it of biogeographic interest as a Himalayan endemic of high passes, and although no formal threat assessment is widely cited, its dependence on stable snow-melt habitats renders it potentially sensitive to shifts in snowpack and grazing. Pollination is presumed to involve small bees and flies active in the brief alpine window.

Author: Craib · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Nepal, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 2, Flora of China Vol. 15, Smith & Fletcher monograph of the genus Primula

Primulaceae

Primula stirtoniana

by G & P Jürgens

G.Watt

Nepal 99 815 ergebnis
West-Nepal Baga-La-Phedi 4300m, July
Nepal 99 814 ergebnis
West-Nepal Baga-La-Phedi 4300m, July

Description

Primula stirtoniana is a high-altitude perennial herb distributed across the Himalayas from western Nepal through northeast India (Sikkim, Uttarakhand) to Bhutan and southern China (Xizang). The species inhabits alpine meadows, moist rocky ledges, and scree slopes at elevations of 3,600–4,800 m, where it grows in association with other alpine cushion plants and rosette-forming herbs. It has been recorded from Baga-La-Phedi in western Nepal at 4,300 m, flowering in July during the peak monsoon period when moisture availability is highest.
The plant forms compact rosettes arising from a short, stout rootstock. The leaves are spatulate to obovate, 2–6 cm long, with a crenate to dentate margin, more or less farinose beneath with a whitish or yellowish farina. The scape is erect, 5–15 cm tall, bearing a terminal umbel of 3–10 flowers. The calyx is campanulate, often farinose, with lanceolate lobes. The corolla is purple to violet-blue, with a flat, spreading limb 10–15 mm in diameter; the tube is cylindrical, exceeding the calyx. The species is heterostylous, producing both pin and thrum flowers. The capsule is globose to ovoid, slightly exceeding the calyx at maturity.
Primula stirtoniana belongs to section Crystallophlomis, a group characterised by prominent leaf farina, and is allied to P. macrophylla and related species. It was described by George Watt in the late nineteenth century and has been relatively infrequently collected. With approximately 26 occurrence records in GBIF, it remains a poorly documented species whose population status across its range is unclear. Alpine Primula species are considered sensitive indicators of climate change, and upward range shifts or phenological mismatches with pollinators may pose long-term threats to such narrowly adapted high-altitude taxa.

Author: G.Watt · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Nepal, Richards: Primula (2003), Grierson & Long: Flora of Bhutan Vol. 2 (2001)

Primulaceae

Primula stuartii

by G & P Jürgens

Wall.

Garh 07 401 ergebnis
Garh 07 416 ergebnis
India Garhwal 3900m, June

Description

Primula stuartii is a high-alpine perennial distributed across the Himalayan arc, with georeferenced records (some 140 occurrences) from Nepal, India, China and Bhutan. It is a plant of open, moist alpine meadows, rocky slopes and the margins of melting snow-beds, typically occurring between roughly 3000 and 4500 m. The population photographed in the Garhwal Himalaya of northern India at about 3900 m in June represents its characteristic habitat, flowering as the snow recedes and the short summer growing season begins on humus-rich, well-drained but seasonally saturated substrates.

The species forms a stout perennial rosette arising from a short, farinose-coated rootstock. The leaves are oblong to oblanceolate, narrowing into a winged petiole, with finely toothed margins and a conspicuous mealy-yellow farina coating the lower surface. A robust scape bears a terminal umbel of several to many flowers; the calyx is tubular-campanulate and the corolla is bright golden-yellow with a distinct annulate throat, the limb divided into spreading, often emarginate lobes. The capsule is cylindrical, exceeding the calyx, and dehisces by apical valves to release numerous small angular seeds.

Primula stuartii belongs to the large and taxonomically complex genus Primula, within which yellow-flowered farinose Himalayan species have long posed problems of delimitation; several segregates and varieties have been recognised in the regional literature. As a snow-bed and alpine-meadow specialist it is sensitive to grazing pressure and to shifts in snow-cover duration, making it a useful indicator of alpine ecosystem change. It remains locally frequent across much of its range and is not presently regarded as threatened.

Author: Wall. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Nepal, Flora of Bhutan, Flora of China, Smith & Fletcher's monograph of Primula

Primulaceae

Primula tsariensis

by G & P Jürgens

W.W.Sm.

Sikkim2011 353
Sikkim, Lada-La 3900m, June

Description

Primula tsariensis is an alpine perennial endemic to the eastern Himalaya, with a distribution centred on the borderlands of Bhutan, southern Xizang (Tibet) and adjacent NE India, and recorded from Sikkim, where the photographed plant was found near the Lada-La pass at about 3,900 m in June. GBIF documents this distribution across Bhutan (BT), China (CN) and India (IN) on the basis of roughly 67 occurrence records. It is a plant of the upper alpine zone, frequenting moist turf, scree margins and seepage slopes among dwarf rhododendron, typically between 3,800 and 4,500 m.

The species forms a small rosette-forming herb arising from a short rhizome with fibrous roots. The leaves are oblanceolate to spathulate, narrowed to a winged petiole, with a crenate to denticulate margin and an efarinose to thinly farinose surface. The slender scape bears a terminal umbel of few flowers; the calyx is tubular-campanulate and divided into narrow lobes, while the corolla is violet to purple-blue with a paler or yellowish eye, the limb of five obcordate, emarginate lobes spreading from a narrow tube. The species is heterostylous, producing pin and thrum forms, and the fruit is a small capsule shorter than or equalling the persistent calyx, dehiscing to release numerous angular seeds.

Primula tsariensis belongs to the section Petiolares, a complex and taxonomically intricate assemblage of Sino-Himalayan primulas distinguished by their farinose tissues and early-spring flowering close to the receding snow. Its narrow range across the Assam Himalaya and southern Tibet makes it a useful biogeographic marker of this high-rainfall sector. Although not formally assessed as threatened, such localised alpine endemics are inherently vulnerable to climate-driven upward shifts of the snowline and to habitat disturbance from grazing.

Author: W.W.Sm. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of China Vol. 15, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 2, GBIF, John Richards: Primula (2003)