Everything about Primula Vulgaris totally explained
Primula vulgaris (
syn. P. acaulis (L.) Hill) is a species of
Primula native to western and southern
Europe (from the
Faroe Islands and
Norway south to
Portugal, and east to Germany,
Ukraine, the
Crimea, and the
Balkans), northwest
Africa (
Algeria), and southwest
Asia (
Turkey east to
Iran). The common name is
Primrose, or occasionally
Common Primrose or
English Primrose to distinguish it from other
Primula species also called primroses.
It is a
herbaceous perennial plant, low growing, to 10-30 cm tall, with a basal rosette of
leaves. The leaves are 5-25 cm long and 2-6 cm broad with an irregularly crenate to dentate margin, and a usually short leaf stem. The
flowers are 2-4 cm diameter, borne singly on a slender stem, pale yellow, white, red, or purple (see further below),
actinomorphic with a superior ovary which later forms a capsule which opens by valves to release the small black seeds. The flowers are
hermaphrodite but
heterostylous; individual plants bear either
pin flowers (with the capita of the
style prominent) or
thrum flowers (with the
stamens prominent).
Fertilisation can only take place between pin and thrum flowers. Pin to pin and thrum to thrum
pollination is ineffective.
It flowers in early spring, one of the earliest spring flowers in much of Europe, and in appropriate conditions, can cover the ground in open woods.
In more populated areas it has sometimes suffered from over-collection and theft so that few natural displays of primroses in abundance can now be found. To prevent excessive damage to the species, picking of primroses or the removal of primrose plants from the wild is illegal in many countries, for example the
UK (
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Section 13, part 1b).
There are three
subspecies:
Both flowers and leaves are edible, the flavour ranging between mild lettuce and more bitter salad greens. The leaves can also be used for tea, and the young flowers can be made into primrose wine.
Trivia
The normal pale yellow colour of most primroses is a very distinctive subtle pale colour much favoured in imitation by
paint manufacturers.
The primrose was
Benjamin Disraeli's favourite flower, and the
Primrose League was given its name in honour of this.
The first sentence of Richard Adams's novel
Watership Down is, "The primroses were over."
Further Information
Get more info on 'Primula Vulgaris'.
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