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BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary


Primula incana
mealy primrose

 
Scientific Name: Primula incana M.E. Jones
English Name: mealy primrose
 
Classification / Taxonomy
Scientific Name - Concept Reference: Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Classification Level: Species
Species Group: Vascular Plant
Species Code: PRIMINC
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Plantae Anthophyta Dicotyledoneae Primulales Primulaceae
   
Conservation Status / Legal Designation
Global Status: G5 (Sep 2015)
Provincial Status: S4 (Apr 2019)
BC List: Yellow
Provincial FRPA list:   
Provincial Wildlife Act:
COSEWIC Status:
SARA Schedule:
General Status Canada: 4 - Secure (2010)
   
Ecology & Life History
General Description: Mealy Primrose is slender, tall, and heavily farinose, or occasionally efarinose. It rises up to 46 cm high, and leaves are elliptic or oblanceolate, including the petioles, which are up to 6 cm long. Blades are 0.3-1.6 cm wide with denticulate margins and gradually narrow into a broadly winged petiole. The involucral bracts are 0.5-1 cm long, oblong, densely covered with white farina, flat above, and saccate or gibbous at the base. The umbels are capitate, 7-19 flowered, and the pedicels are short and 0.3-0.9 cm long. Flowers are homostylous. The calyx is green, heavily farinose, cylindrical, obscurely ribbed, and 0.4-0.7 cm long; it is divided up to one third its length by lanceolate teeth that are covered with capitate 3-4 celled glands. The corolla is lavendar with a yellow throat. The limb is 0.4-0.8 cm wide, emarginate, and is a tube that is equal to or slightly longer than the calyx. Stamens are ca. 1 mm long and located in the upper portion of the corolla tube. The stigma is capitate and located adjacent to the anthers. The capsule is cylindrical to slightly elliptical, 0.2-0.3 cm wide, and 1.5-2 times the length of the calyx. Seeds are brown, reticulate, ca. 0.2 mm long.
Technical Description: Plants slender, tall, and heavily farinose, occasionally efarinose. Scape to 46 cm high. Leaves elliptic or oblanceolate, including the petioles to 6 cm long, blade 0.3-1.6 cm wide, margins denticulate, blade gradually narrowing onto a broadly winged petiole. Involucral bracts oblong, densely coverd with white farina, flat above, saccate or gibbous at the base, 0.5-1 cm long. Umbels capitate, (4)7-19 flowered, pedicels short, 0.3-0.9 cm long. Flowers homostylous. Calyx green, heavily farinose, cylindrical, obscurely ribbed, 0.4-0.7(1) cm long, divided up to one third its length by lanceolate teeth covered with capitate 3-4 celled glands. Corolla lavender with yellow throat; limb 0.4-0.8 cm wide, tube equal to or slightly longer than calyx, limb emarginate. Stamens ca 1 mm long, located in upper portion of corolla tube. Stigma capitate, located adjacent to anthers. Pollen ca 19 um diam., exine microreticulate, 4-syncolpate. Capsule cylindrical to slightly elliptical, 0.2-0.3 cm wide, 1.5-2 times the length of the calyx. Seeds brown, reticulate, ca 0,2 mm long.
Diagnostic Characteristics: P. INCANA is a generally well-marked species with heavily farinose leaves, tall scape, and flat-tipped bracts subtending tight umbels of small homostylous flowers. Many northern collections have been misidentified as the smaller P. STRICTA because flowering begins when the scape is relatively short. Elongation of the scape continues throughout anthesis, and pedicels lengthen as seeds ripen. Thus, the characteristic tight umbels do not persist beyond anthesis, and individuals in the fruiting stage may be many times taller than those in early flowering stage. P. INCANA is most similar to P. LAURENTIANA. The latter is distinguished by having larger flowers, longer pedicels, broader, more denticulate leaves, and involute rather than flat bracts.
Similar Species:
Habitats:
(Type / Subtype / Dependence)
Global Habitat Comments: In seral herb communities with alkaline clay soil in river flood plains and in open meadows (Kelso 1987).
Provincial Phenology:
(1st half of month/
2nd half of month)
Elevation (m) (min / max): Provincial: 
Known Pests:
Pollen Vector:
Pollinator:
Dispersal:
   
 
Provincial Inventory
Inventory Priority:
Ownership of occurrences (Known locations):
Inventory Need:
 
Economic Attributes
 
Distribution
Endemic: N
Global Range Comment: From Utah and Colorado north to Alaska and east to Quebec. Rare in southern Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota,and Montana, more common in Canada from British Columbia east to western Manitoba, rare in the Yukon and Alaska (where it is limited to stable flood plains along rivers).
Disjunct, more common elsewhere:
Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere:
 
Authors / Contributors
Global Information Author: KMH
Last Updated: Oct 15, 1992
Provincial Information Author:
Last Updated:
Last Literature Search:
   
References and Related Literature
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2009. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 8. Magnoliophyta: Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 585 pp.
Kelso, S. 1987. Systematics and biogeography of the arctic and boreal species of Primula. Unpublished dissertation, Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks.
Kelso, S. 1991. Taxonomy of Primula sects. Aleuritia and Armerina in North America. Rhodora 93(873): 67-99.
Kelso, S. 1992a. The genus Primula as a model for evolution in the Alaskan flora. Arctic and Alpine Research 24(1): 82-87.
Moseley, R. K., R. J. Bursik, and M. Manusco. 1991. Floristic inventory of wetlands in Fremont and Teton counties, Idaho. Unpublished report on file IDCDC Department of Fish & Game, Boise, ID. 60 pp.
Williams, L. O. 1936b. Revision of the western Primulas. The American Midland Naturalist 17: 741-748.
 

Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.

Suggested Citation:

B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1992. Species Summary: Primula incana. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Oct 22, 2026).