Primula egaliksensis

Primula egaliksensis, the Greenland primrose, also called Primula groenlandica, is a flower from the genus Primula. It was first documented by Morten Wormskjold and Jens Wilken Hornemann in 1813 while Wormskjold was on an expedition to Greenland. The flower is primarily found in Greenland and the northern part of North America. The Greenland primrose was also discovered in Iceland in 1911.

Description

Primula egaliksensis has a thin stem and is about tall. The basal leaves are thin, with an irregular, ellipsoid shape, smooth-edged, and never starchy. It has fronds the same length as the stem. The flower is blueish and blooms from May to June during its six-week growing season.

Taxonomy

This plant has no subspecies.
Morphology and genetics suggest that Primula egaliksensis was originally a hybrid between sections Aleuritia and Armerina, and possible ancestors are P. nutans and P. mistassinica or a prehistoric form of that species.

Distribution and habitat

Primula egaliksensis is found in:

Greenland
All of the provinces and territories of Canada except Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island
Alaska, Colorado, and Wyoming in the United States
Northeastern Russia

The flower has been found only one place in Iceland: Stóru-Hamundarstaðir in Eyjafjörður. It has been a protected species since 1978, but it is now considered extinct in the country.
The Greenland primrose prefers humid meadows, places near streams and moist coastal locations, and peat bogs.