Primula aureata H.R.Fletcher, in Gard. Illustr. lxiii. 283 (1941); et in Trans. & Proc. Bot. Soc. Edinb. xxxiii. 108 (1941), descr. ampl.
Section Petiolares
Link to Nepal checklist
Type specimen: Cult resides at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (specimen E00024783).
P. aureata subsp. aureata: Richards, Enum. Fl. Pl. Nepal 3: 69 (1982). Specimen: Stainton 3759 & 3760.
P. aureata subsp. fimbriata: Richards ex Gould, Enum. Fl. Pl. Nepal 3: 69 (1982). Type specimen: Nicolson 3315 resides at British Museum (specimen BM000521878) and US National Herbarium (specimen US00116452).
Epithet: Named for the yellow flower color.
Distribution: Nepal (possibly West Bengal, India?).
P. aureata is found in the Langtang and Gosainkund valleys of Central Nepal. It grows in rock crevices in a vertical position usually under overhangs. P. deuteronana and P. gracilipes grow in the same areas. Hybrids with P. deuteronana have been found in the wild and hybrids with P. gracilipes have been made in cultivation. Also listed as hybridizing with P. edgeworthii and P. sacpigera. Hybrids can often be distinguished by some violet/pink coloring. Originally described from a rogue seedling cultivated from seed received from the Llyod Botanical Garden, Darjeeling, under the name Swertia purpurea (no. 23, 25), it wasn't found in the wild until 20 years later. The type was described as having large yellow flowers, flushed with a broad, deep orange eye. Subspecies fimbriata is a smaller plant with cream flowers, having a small yellow eye and lacerate petals and may be restricted to higher elevations. The last image represents a possible extension of range.
