Ex situ conservation of rare plant species requires an understanding of germination requirements. We report the first successful germination trials for Maguire primrose (Primula cusickiana var. maguirei[L.O. Williams] N.H. Holmgren & S. Kelso), a threatened perennial herb narrowly restricted to a 20-km canyon in northern Utah, USA. Seeds collected from different sites (upper or lower canyon populations) and flower morphs (pin or thrum) that had been stored for either 1 or 2 years were cold, moist stratified in darkness at 1–2°C for 270 days. Independent of treatment, time to first germination was approximately 75 days, time to 50% germination (T50) was approximately 165 days, and total germination was 55.8%...