Primula magellanica Lehm.
Section Aleuritia
Link to Flora of Argentina description
Type specimen P. Commerson, "Détroit de Magellan" (herbarium de Jussieu 4807) resides at P (specimen P00675457).
Primula farinosa var. magellanica (Lehm.) Hook.f.
Primula farinosa subsp. magellanica (Lehm.) W.W.Sm. & Forrest
Primula decipiens Duby
Primula farinosa var. decipiens (Duby) A.DC. in Géogr. Bot. Raisonée 2: 1049 (1855).
Primula magellanica subsp. decipiens (Duby) A.J.Richards
Epithet: Named for the Straits of Magellan.
Distribution: Chile, Argentina, Falkland Islands.
Primula magellanica was described by Lehmann based on a single sheet in Paris collected by Commerson in the Straits of Magellan, presumably in the mid 1700’s. In the mid 1800’s, Duby gave a second description, which does not exactly match Lehmann’s, and at the same time described P. decipiens based on plants from the Falkland Islands. Shortly after, Hooker described P. farinosa var. magellanica which included P. decipiens, arguing that there was no distinction with the UK plants of P. farinosa. In 1928, Fernald, discussed the situation and upheld the distinction between P. magellanica and P. decipiens. In the very recent Flora of Argentina, P. magellanica is distinct but includes P. decipiens as a synonym. What is obvious is that this species is variable in characters such as flower color, corolla tube length, pedicel length, and leaf morphology. See also related P. comberi.
P. magellanica is up to 40cm tall, leaves elliptic to subspathulate, base cuneate, margin crenate-dentate and farinose, especially below. The umbel of 10-20 lilac to white, emarginate flowers is held well above the basal rosette on a farinose scape, bracts are linear with a gibbous base.
