Pin and thrum ..

Day252 #365DaysWild

Beginning to flower in the garden - our native primrose (primula vulgaris). My favourite native flower.

Primrose - ‘pin’ form

We successfully propagate them from divisions we make after flowering in June.

But we were having less success with them seeding naturally.

They are pollinated by bee flies - acrobatic mini-hummingbird insects.

But no seedlings.

Until I looked closely at the flowers. All the garden primrose were from stock brought from our previous garden. And all were the same type of flower.

Primrose - ‘thrum’ form

Schoolboy error.

Charles Darwin identified that primrose come in two forms: pin and thrum. 

Pin flowers have long styles, small pollen, and the stigma at the mouth of the corolla tube. Thrum flowers have short styles, large pollen, and the stigma approximately half way down the corolla tube.

There needs to be 1:1 fertilisation from both pin-eyed and thrum-eyed flowers for successful setting of seeds.

Now we’re cooking!

Seedlings thriving