Primula Hunting in NW Yunnan

There are many remote places to explore for rare Primulas and NW Yunnan is one of them. The area west of Zhongdian (Shangri-La) 27°50'10.19"N 99°42'15.44"E, towards the Myanmar border and crossing the Mekong (Lancang) and Salween (Nujiang) rivers is prime Primula habitat. Getting to...

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Primula whitei or Primula bhutanica?

Primula bhutanica Primula whitei and Primula bhutanica are members of Section Petiolares whose members have a crumbling seed capsule (rather than the seed capsule opening by valves like most species), and often have dimorphic leaves, that is, leaves of a different shape are produced...

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Field Book Project

Field books or notes (and field diaries) are documents written during field research about specimens collected and observations pertaining to those collections. For type collections in particular, they are invaluable as a primary source for understanding distinguishing characteristics, habitat...

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It's About Time

Botanical travel can take you close to home or far away, perhaps, the other side of the earth.  The nearest antipodes to me is Port-aux-Francais in the Kerguelen Islands which would be interesting to visit, but it isn’t a place where Primulas grow. My last botanical trip started in Kunming,...

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Going around in circles - Primula minutissima, Victor Jacquemont, and Mangled Maps

Primula minutissima It's my curiosity that not only keeps me interested in studying Primula species, but also leads me to exciting side trails of investigation. Such is the case of Primula minutissima, which I was researching yesterday. Looking at several sources of information, the distribution...

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Primula biserrata is the correct name for P. serratifolia Franch.

I can imagine that in the 1800's it would have been difficult to keep track of the names of new species. If you were lucky the author would have published in a widely available journal or perhaps a colleague would have passed on the information. Or course, it would have been easy to be unaware...

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Sweet Caroline... section Carolinella

Where it began, I can't begin to knowin' But then I know it's growing strong Was in the spring And spring became the summer Who'd have believed you'd come along ... Sweet Caroline.*   Primula cardioeides in Vietnam In 1891, Augustine Henry married Caroline Orridge, though their...

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Thailand - Pagodas, Beaches, Pad Thai ... and Primulas

Primula siamensis My holiday experiences in Thailand include golden pagodas, sandy beaches, elephant rides and tasty food. It isn't a place particularly noted for Primulas, but they do grow there. In the northern part of the country, near the popular tourist destination of Chiang Mai,...

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The Plant Lover's Guide to Primulas

A new book on Primulas is always welcome! This one is from Jodie Mitchell and Lynne Lawson of the famous Primula nursery, Barnhaven, and it is a Timber Press book that is part of a series produced in association with Kew. It is called "The Plant Lover's Guide to Primulas". My first...

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Primula specuicola in Utah

Primula specuicola goes by the common name of "Easter Primrose" and that's because it blooms at Easter time. This year (2016) I headed south the week before, making the 17 hour drive to Moab, Utah over two days. I had been there the previous October and had seen a few plants just forming...

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Primula cusickiana var. maguirei in Utah

Logan Canyon While heading to southern Utah just before Easter,2016, I stopped in to Logan Canyon. The entrance to this canyon lies just beyond Utah State University in the town of Logan, Utah. Scenic byway 89 follows the canyon and the Logan river that flows through this cut in the...

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Primula lilacina vs Primula bellidifolia (P. hyacinthina)

Primula lilacina In 2008, Primula lilacina, a new species in Section Muscarioides was described by John Richards. This species is found in Sichuan (Tuer Pass 29°31'0.49"N 100°16'21.09"E and Yading area 28°26'57.86"N 100°20'47.06"E) and features leaves that are densely...

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Bonvalot and d'Orléans in China

In 1889-1890 Gabriel Bonvalot and Prince Henri d'Orléans embarked on a journey from Siberia through Tibet and Yunnan ending in Tonkin (Vietnam). See Map. A detailed map is also available. Bonvalot's account of the journey is in the book "De Paris au Tokin a Travers Le Tibet Inconnu" which...

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