''Primula suffrutescens'' is a species of
primrose known by the common name Sierra primrose.
Description
With a matlike form of a thick, woody base covered in the dried remnants of previous seasons' herbage, ''Primula suffrutescens'' is a
subshrub growing from a sturdy anchoring
rhizome. 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 centimetres long.
From the rosettes arise
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
s on
peduncles up to 12 centimeters tall. The showy inflorescence is an
umbel
In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...
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
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, where it grows in the high mountains of the
Sierra Nevada and
Klamath Ranges. It grows in rock cracks, blooming in July and August.
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Primula suffrutescens''''Primula suffrutescens'' - Photo gallery
suffrutescens
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Klamath Mountains
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Primulaceae-stub