Primula denticulata ("Tamazakisakuraso")

Japanese name: タマザキサクラソウ （玉咲桜草）
Scientific name: Primula denticulata

[Overview]
The wild species is a perennial 5–30 cm tall, found at high altitudes of 1,500–4,100 m.
It has no heat tolerance, so in Japan it is treated as an annual.
It forms large ovate winter buds 1.5–4 cm long and 1–2 cm across.
The leaves are simple and basal, oblong, 3–15 cm long and 1.5–4 cm wide, with toothed margins.
A spherical umbel at the tip of the flower stalk bears dense flowers 1–2 cm across.
The corolla is 5-lobed, and each lobe is further divided in two at the tip.
The basic flower color is wisteria-purple to wisteria-pink with a yellow eye, but there are also white and crimson ones.
The fruit is a capsule.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
The seeds need light to germinate, so do not cover them with soil, and water from the bottom.
It prefers a sunny, well-ventilated, well-drained soil.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
In summer especially, water in the evening or later once the temperature has dropped, and also sprinkle water around the pot so that it stays cool through the night.
In addition to base fertilizer, give liquid fertilizer during the flowering period so that fertilizer does not run out, and make sure none is left in summer.
Leaving spent flowers can cause disease, so remove them promptly.
If you do not intend to collect seed, cut off the flower stalks entirely once the flowers have nearly finished blooming.
Pests and diseases include damping-off, Botrytis, soft rot, gray mold, cutworms, slugs, nematodes and root mites.

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