Primula elatior

High (Primula elatior )

The High (Primula elatior ) is a plant that belongs to the genus of primroses (Primula ). Another common name is forest - primrose ( Switzerland ). Your inflorescences appear already in March as one of the first signs of spring on moist meadows, on the creek edge and in the floodplain.

Description

The Oxlip is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of about 10 to 30 centimeters. The both sides hairy leaves are in a basal rosette together, reach a length of about 20 cm and go, always Tapering slowly into the winged petiole about. The leaf margin has an irregular and fine perforation.

The bright yellow flowers appear from March to May The flowers are colored larger and brighter in comparison to genuine cowslip (Primula veris ). In contrast to the rights cowslip the throat of the flower is golden yellow in the High cowslip and the cup fits snugly on the petals. The flowers also smell only slightly. To distinguish between the two types but mainly contribute into the different location requirements; the cowslip is found in dry meadows, bushes and light forests.

The cylindrically shaped fruit capsules of the High cowslip are stiff upright stems and fruit are usually longer than the calyx.

Ecology

The nectar of the cowslip is located low down in the corolla tube. As pollinators therefore come only langrüsselige species such as bumblebees and butterflies in question. For bees, however, one can sometimes observe that they crack a corolla tube from the outside to get in this way to the nectar.

The cowslip is one of the so-called Austrocknungsstreuern. The fruit capsules containing the seeds, roll back in dry weather and allow so that the seeds are sown. In damp weather, the capsule teeth curving inward again and so close the capsule.

The plant serves including the caterpillars of the endangered butterfly species Perlbinde and primroses cube Falter as a forage crop.

Occurrence

The Oxlip is widely used in Europe and settled in Asia Minor eastern Turkey, northern Iran and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in the Caucasus region in southern Siberia and the Russian Republic of Altai.

One finds the Oxlip often weedy oak -hornbeam forests, floodplains and canyon forests and mountain meadows. It prefers moist, nutrient - and base-rich, loose soil, even in shady locations. It indicates clay soil.

After Ellenberg it is sub-oceanic spreading, a weak acid to weak base pointer, lives on nitrogen-rich sites and is a Ordnungscharakterart of broadleaf mixed forests and related companies ( mesophytic, buchenwald like deciduous forests of Europe ( Fagetalia sylvaticae ) ).

Use

The flowers and roots of the High and the rights cowslip tea is produced, which is an expectorant and expectoration -promoting.

Varieties of the High cowslip also be used as an ornamental plant. The so-called hybrids Primula elatior × polyantha are, however, despite its name, no descendants of the High cowslip, but come from the intersection Primula veris × vulgaris, the Real and the stem lots cowslip ( see there).

More images

Inflorescences: