Primula suffrutescens
Encyclopedia
Primula suffrutescens is a species of primrose
known by the common name Sierra primrose.
growing from a sturdy anchoring rhizome
. It has a matlike form with a thick, woody base covered in the dried remnants of previous seasons' herbage. The green leaves occur in several rosettes on the woody base. The hairless leaves are spoon-shaped with jagged, toothed tips and measure up to 3.5 centimeters long.
From the rosettes arise inflorescence
s on peduncles
up to 12 centimeters tall. The showy inflorescence is an umbel
of several flowers with tubular yellow throats and flat magenta corollas with five jagged or notch-tipped lobes. The fruit is a capsule.
, where it grows in the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada and Klamath Ranges
. It grows in rock cracks, blooming in July and August.
Primula
Primula is a genus of 400–500 species of low-growing herbs in the family Primulaceae. They include primrose, auricula, cowslip and oxlip. Many species are grown for their ornamental flowers...
known by the common name Sierra primrose.
Description
Primula suffrutescens is a subshrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growing from a sturdy anchoring rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
. It has a matlike form with a thick, woody base covered in the dried remnants of previous seasons' herbage. The green leaves occur in several rosettes on the woody base. The hairless leaves are spoon-shaped with jagged, toothed tips and measure up to 3.5 centimeters long.
From the rosettes arise inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s on peduncles
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
up to 12 centimeters tall. The showy inflorescence is an umbel
Umbel
An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs....
of several flowers with tubular yellow throats and flat magenta corollas with five jagged or notch-tipped lobes. The fruit is a capsule.
Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada and Klamath Ranges
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
. It grows in rock cracks, blooming in July and August.