Primula tangutica Duthie, Gard. Chron., ser. 3. 38: 42. 1905.
Section Crystallophlomis, Subsection Maximowiczii
Link to Flora of China description
Type specimen: E. Wilson ca. 1904 cult. from seeds of, resides at KEW (specimen K000750181).
P. tangutica var flavescens: F. H. Chen & C. M. Hu, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 18: 384. 1980. Type specimen: Qinghai-Tibet Exped. 74-361, Tibetan Complex Exped. 76-276 resides at Inst. Bot. Acad. Sin. conserv. Distinguished by a corolla of pale yellow or pink.
P. tangutica var serrata (syn): W. W. Smith & Fletcher, Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh 60:623. 1943. Type specimen: Rock 12612 resides at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (specimen E00024261). This is a form of P. tangutica with coarsely serrated leaves.
P. tangutica var minor (syn): Suessenguth. Type Specimen: Trippner 320 resides at Botanische Staatssammlung München (specimen M0173540).
P. silenantha (syn): Pax & K. Hoffm., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 17:98. 1921. Type specimen: Limpricht 1773 resides at Universität Wien (specimen WU 0059703 ) and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (specimen E00024605). This is a dwarf form of P. tangutica.
Pax independently published the name P. tangutica for the same species but later in the year than Duthie in Pflanzenr. (Engler) Primul. 108 (Nov. 1905).
Epithet: Named for the flower color.
Distribution: S Gansu, E Qinghai, Sichuan, E Tibet, China
Originally thought to be a variety of P. maximowiczii but never published as such. P. tangutica varies in color from very dark red (almost black) to pink. Yellow (and pink) forms are named P. tangutica var flavescens (type from near Chamdo, E Tibet) but yellow forms also seem to be present in other parts of the distribution, so this may be synonomous. Notable for the linear corolla lobes which are strongly reflexed. See related P. maximowiczii and P. szechuanica. Please contact the webmaster if you know the reference for the paper for P. tangutica var minor Suess.
