| Primrose | Primrose family |
| Primula vulgaris | Primulaceae |
Primroses are one of the first flowers of spring, occurring in woodlands and hedgerows, often in large numbers.
The flowers can vary in colour from pale cream to deep yellow.
Sometimes a pink variety is found, where wild primroses have crossed with the multi-coloured garden polyanthus.
Two types of flower occur on different plants. The "pin-eyed" flower has long styles, and the stamens set halfway
down the tube of the corolla. The "thrum-eyed" flower has short styles, and stamens in the mouth of the tube.
Pollen is thus transferred from the stamens of one type to the stigmas of the other type by visiting insects,
so that cross-pollination takes place.
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| Basal rosette of leaves | Pin-eyed flower | Thrum-eyed flower |
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Technical Information
Perennial herb, 12-15 cm tall, Leaves in a basal rosette, oval, unstalked, narrowing to the stalk, with a toothed scalloped edge; underside softly hairy Calyx: woolly tube with 5 triangular narrow teeth Flowers: pale yellow, saucer-shaped, solitary on a single stalk arising from the leaf rosette. Corolla 30-40mm across, tube separating into 5 lobes, thickenings at the throat of the tube Flowering time: February-May Habitat: Woods, hedgerows and hedgebanks Distribution: Common throughout Britain This species can cross-pollinate with the cowslip to produce the False Oxlip |