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| Primula Elatior or Oxlip. Courtesy Woodland Trust |
Trying to be more methodical: Tackling the species that we think of as primulas is fairly easy but slightly confusing. The naming and ordering of a species complicated. It would be lovely to start with a simple word, such as, did you know primrose meant prima rosa which means first rose? But there is so much more to the primrose and her offsprings, because I don't want to be rude here but the plant can be a bit promiscuous.
I thought to start with the Oxlip, you can see how the flower buds cluster to one side. The oxlip is only to be found on the East side of the country according to The Woodland Trust but I think intense farming has obliterated it elsewhere. You can tell the plant belongs to the primrose by the lined, wrinkled nature of the leaves but not so deeply lined as the primrose leaves itself.
'Veris' Means spring, the flowers of spring are beautiful.
Now Grigson will write this "The coarse hybrid between Cowslip and Primrose which lacks the charm of either parent" But then he is not talking about the Woodland Oxlip above, which one has to admit is a fairly elegant plant and only to be found in East Anglia. But the names it was called by in past times such as Oxlip, Bedlam Cowslip or Bullslop shows a negative difference in seeing the plant. AND, according to Grigson the plant wasn't just confined to the East but could be found in Dorset, Kent and the Midlands to name but a couple of other places. I sometimes wonder whether Grigson had actually seen an oxlip, if he had, he would be more generous.
Marjorie Blamey's page of the Primula race and you can see the Oxlip sitting between a primrose and a cowslip. Though I counted in the index 20 odd primulas plants listed, I am not going to do all of them - heaven forbid.
It's a beautiful family of flowers. Cowslips were my mother's favourite wild flowers.
ReplyDeleteThey are all quite delicate the primula family and very dainty.
DeleteI love the illustration from your book. The photo is so pretty, too. I'm so glad to see flowers right now as we have none here yet.
ReplyDeleteWell when it becomes lighter here the flowers start to show, mostly of course plants that do not mind the cold Ellen.
DeleteWe knew Oxslips as Five-fingers when I was little, we would walk via fields to the woods and pick them by the basket full. Probably caused their extinction that bit of woodland!
ReplyDeleteFive-fingers is what Grigson has got for East Anglia Sue, so you were keeping alive an old tradition.
DeleteI saw a lone Cowslip on my way to Quilting class in Carms last week. Not sure if I have ever seen an Oxslip, but your photo makes them look very stately.
ReplyDeleteWe of course strew the verges with wildflowers so they still exist somewhat in a limited form. But modern farming has taken its toll Jennie.
DeleteHow beautiful! I need to start paying more attention to wildflowers.
ReplyDeleteI think you have a lot still in America Debby. I 'follow' an American wild flower expert who is very unconventional, his title is "Crime pays but Botany doesn't"
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