Cowslip? or Oxlip?

[Lancashire Lad]

Found these today. Logic says they should be Cowslip, but they look like Oxlip to me. They were found at a local Nature Reserve, but I think they may well have been introduced.



All replies appreciated.

Regards
Mike.

[Dutchess]

Hmm! Tricky! I have often pondered the difference myself, Mike! I found this which I thought perhaps would help me to id your plant, but I still cannot decide! Perhaps it will help you to figure it out though:

"The cowslip is a pasture flower, loving a somewhat dry soil and full exposure. It has small and comparatively unattractive flowers, which, however, are capable of remarkable modifications when taken in hand by the florist, for the cowslip doubtless is the parent of the polyanthus, and some intermediate forms that find favour in gardens. The oxlip is very closely allied to the cowslip, but differs in having a broader and flatter flower. As a wilding it is usually met with in more luxuriant pastures than the cowslip; it loves moisture, but does not thrive in the shade, where the primrose is usually at home. As a garden plant it requires a rich soil, and it suffers much if very dry at the root for any length of time in high summer. "

(Taken from this site:
All about flowers - THE OXLIP, Primula elatio)

hth

D.

[davidbr]

It's actually the hybrid between Primrose (P. vulgaris) & Cowslip (P. veris), Primula x polyantha, known as False Oxlip or, in horticulture, Polyanthus.

That's where many of the brightly-coloured garden plants come from, but the hybrid also occurs naturally and yours looks like the wild version.

[Lancashire Lad]

Thanks Dutchess.

Quote: "The cowslip is a pasture flower, loving a somewhat dry soil and full exposure" - Apart from the one large plant in my original photo, all the others were in the boggy area at the side of a small pond amongst emerging yellow flag leaves.
From the description in your reply, this would lean towards the oxlip - quote: "The oxlip is very closely allied to the cowslip....it loves moisture, but does not thrive in the shade".

(I've uploaded another pic. here showing the general habitat where mine were found).


I appreciate that it is nigh on impossible that oxlips would be naturally occuring in lancashire, but I'd still like to get the correct ID on the plant.

Regards
Mike.

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by davidbr

It's actually the hybrid between Primrose (P. vulgaris) & Cowslip (P. veris), Primula x polyantha, known as False Oxlip or, in horticulture, Polyanthus.

That's where many of the brightly-coloured garden plants come from, but the hybrid also occurs naturally and yours looks like the wild version.

Cheers David - your reply was posted whilst I was (slowly) putting my response together for Dutchess's reply.

Regards
Mike.

[KeenTeen17]

When I posted the previous thread about oxlip I was told that the leaf ends abruptly just before the base. If you found these in Lancashire its not really likely to be the false oxlip or the cowslip because its a bit too early for them yet. We're not warm enough

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

When I posted the previous thread about oxlip I was told that the leaf ends abruptly just before the base. If you found these in Lancashire its not really likely to be the false oxlip or the cowslip because its a bit too early for them yet. We're not warm enough

Hi KT - You'll be able to judge for yourself, when you go and have a look at the purple toothwort - these are at the same site, within 10 metres of the toothwort

Regrds
Mike.

[KeenTeen17]

I found them. I think the one in the bushes was the false oxlip but the one near the small pond is the true oxlip because its leaves ended abruptly on the stalk, but with the one in the bushes, they didn't. There was also cowslip just coming out in the field but not worth a photo,
Thanks for the directions