Primula vallis-gaudemarica Dentant, F.C.Boucher, Salomez & Voisin
Section Auricula
Type specimen: C. Dentant s.n., France, Écrins range, La
Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar, south of Lauzon Lake on
granite rocks, 1899 m a.s.l., 1 Jun 2015 resides at GRM (specimen MHNGr.2022.49506).
Epithet: Named after the Valgaudemar valley, in the
southwestern French Alps.
Distribution: Écrins National Park, France.
A hybrid lineage between P. hirsuta and P. pedemontana originating in ancient times (<10,000 years), but distinct from modern hybrids. The original paper describes a study using high-throughput genomic data along with morphological measurements to determine the taxonomic status of a clade of taxa, consisting of all western members of Primula subsect. Erythrodrosum, with prominent members P. hirsuta and P. pedemontana. P. vallis-gaudemarica has intermediate values between both parents for the characters of: leaf shape, depth of calyx teeth, ratio of peduncle length to leaf length and trichome density on the leaf blade. P. vallis-gaudemarica has obovate leaves (length/width <2.5); hairs on the leaf margin with glands ranging from orange to dark orange; calyx margin sparsely hairy (<10 trichomes/mm).Before this species was described, the name P. pedemontana was misapplied to it within its restricted distribution. Narrowly endemic to the upper parts of the Valgaudemar (Gioberney, Vallonpierre) and Champsaur valleys, in the SW French Alps.
