YASIN J. NASIR

A glabrous to farinose plant with slender roots. Leaves 1.5-2.5 (-3.5) x 0.8-1.2 cm, oblong spathulate, denticulate to erose-denticulate, glabrous to minutely pubescent, nerves prominent on the undersurface. Scape solitary, 2-15 cm long, up to 20 cm in fruit, slender, 3-15-flowered. Flowers heteromorphic, lilac to purplish. Bracts lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, largest 4.5-6 mm long. Pedicel 1-3 mm long, up to 6 mm in fruit. Calyx 3.5-6 mm long, tubular-campanulate, ½ cleft, glabrous to minutely pubescent-mealy within and on the margin of the lobes, lanceolate acute, purplish (at least in the dried state). Corolla tube 6-9.5 mm long, 1½ -2 times the calyx length, minutely puberulous at the throat; limb 9-12 mm broad, lobes obcordate (2.4-) 3.5-6 x 2.5-4.5 mm, emarginate; throat barely annulate, yellow. Style 2 mm long (in thrum-eyed flowers). Capsule slightly exceeding the calyx, oblong-tubular. Seeds less than 1 mm long, angled, brown.

Fl. Per.: June-July.

Holotype: Pangi, Heyde 1615 in Herb. Watt (B).

Distribution: N.W. Himalaya, from Kashmir to Kumaon.

In his original diagnoses of the species, Pax states the plant to be efarinose. This is not always so, as I have observed in W. Koelz's coll. no. 9386 from the Burzil in Kashmir, and E. Nash & G.L. Webster’s coll. no. 6024 from Baltistan.

The species is related to Primula farinose L. from which it differs in the longer corolla tube. High altitude forms of Primula denticulate Sm., may resemble the species in facies. Primula schlagintweitiana is usually found on moist meadows and open hilly places from 1700-5182 m.