Primula auricula
The Auricula (Primula auricula) is one of the most distinctive of the alpine primulas, native to the limestone ranges of the European Alps and Carpathians. Its common name, sometimes rendered as Bear’s Ear, refers to the shape of its thick, fleshy leaves, which are often dusted with farina, a fine white, mealy coating that also appears on the flower stems and, in many varieties, the petals themselves. This farina is thought to protect the plant from intense mountain sunlight and excess moisture, a practical adaptation that has become one of the Auricula’s most admired ornamental features.
Auricula Cultivation
Auriculas have been cultivated in European gardens since at least the 16th century, when plants were first carried north from their native mountain habitats. By the 17th and 18th centuries, the flower had become a favourite among artisan gardeners in the North of England and parts of Scotland, where weavers, cobblers and other tradesmen bred and exhibited prize specimens as “florists’ flowers”, often displaying them in tiered wooden auricula theatres designed to set off their colours against a dark backdrop. Growers classified their plants into distinct groups, including edged, striped, fancy and self varieties, the last referring to blooms of a single, near-uniform colour. A pale blue bloom of the kind shown here would typically be grouped among the self auriculas, prized for the purity and evenness of their colour.
This watercolour depicts a Pale Blue Auricula growing in a terracotta pot rather than in a garden border or naturalistic setting, a composition that draws attention to the plant as a specimen in its own right. The bloom’s soft blue tone, set against the muted green of its farina-dusted foliage, reflects the restrained, jewel-like colouring that made self auriculas so sought after among collectors. The artist and precise date of this piece are not currently known, though the subject and treatment are consistent with the long tradition of botanical illustration that grew up around the Auricula’s popularity in Britain.