Understanding Primula moupinensis ssp barkamensis


In 1990, C.M. Hu described a new subspecies of Primula moupinensis from Barkam Xian, Sichuan which differed from the species by its larger flowers to 2.5cm in diameter,  interior leaves with a rounded or slightly cordate base and petioles as long as the leaf blade. The original description lists 9 different collections, though X. Li #70127 at Bejing is designated the holotype. This species was seen before – there is an old collection at Paris (P04544170) which was determined by Marcel Petitmengin (who died in 1908 so before that year) as P. sonchifolia, but later determined by Hu as this subspecies. I don't know who was the original collector of this specimen nor when it was collected.

P. moupinensisssp. barkamensis (L) in flower, (R) in fruit
When I visited Kunming herbarium in 2014, I examined paratype sheets of this subspecies. When in fruit, this species is very easy to identify as the leaves are quite distinct. In flower though, the leaves are oblong-ovate and attenuate at the base, tapering to a short winged petiole that we see in other related species so it is critical to see plants in fruit to accurately identify them. There are several examples online at the Chinese Virtual Herbarium (see the Herbaria and References page under Resources).
There are many plants labelled this subspecies in cultivation, though all I have is images of these plants in flower, so not with the characteristic leaves. If you grow plants of this subspecies, I would be grateful for images of the plant in fruit.


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