The primrose, native to western and southern Europe, is a small plant, typically no more than 10 cm high. It favors heavy clay soils and damp shady habitats; as a result, it is most abundant in broadleaf woodlands, beneath hedgerows and in grassland habitats.
The primrose is a perennial with a basal rosette of leaves. Flowers, each with five notched petals, are typically 2 to 4 cm in diameter, pale yellow with a deeper yellow or orange-yellow center, and slightly scented. Wild color variants have white, cream or pink flowers. Cultivated primrose varieties come in a huge range of colors, and both single and double flowers.
Each flower is usually borne singly on a slender stem. The short-stemmed leaves can grow to 20 cm or so in length, and their wrinkled surfaces and crinkly or slightly toothed margins are quite distinctive.
The appearance of primrose flowers is a sure sign that spring is on the way. The name primrose derives from the Latin ‘prima rosa’ meaning ‘first rose’ of the year [although it is not a member of the rose family, Rosaceae].