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This conclusion being accepted, the accidental re-apparition of bracts within the family must be considered as a case of systematic atavism, quite analogous to the re-appearance of the scapes in the acaulescent primrose.
For this reason the species is called acaulescent, indicating that it has no other stem than the subterranean rootstock. But on closer inspection we observe that the flower stalks are combined into little groups, each group occupying the aril of one of the basal leaves.
To my mind this curious anomaly strongly supports the view of the latent condition of the scape in the acaulescent species, and that such a dormant character must be due to a descent from ancestors with active scapes, seems to be in no need of further reiteration.
In Holland the acaulescent primrose is quite a common plant, filling the woods in the spring with thousands of clusters of bright yellow flowers. It is a very uniform type, but in some years it is seen to return to atavistic conditions in some rare individuals.
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