This Primula vulgaris is a semi-evergreen primula native to the British Isles. It is a very hardy and versatile plant but prefers a sheltered area.

It is a rosette-forming herbaceous perennial with clusters of cream coloured solitary flowers with a yellow centre. Five notched petals enclose the reproductive organs of this hermaphrodite, some have a dominant style, as seen in the image above, others may have a shorter style with dominant stamens. These scented flowers arise in late winter and early spring making them perfect for an early splash of colour for the new year, they are at their best in March-April.

In the wild Primula vulgaris hybridise naturally with Primula veris producing Primula veris x vulgaris. This hybrid along with Primula veris are commonly misidentified as Primula elatior. Primula species with some or all of the above plants in their ancestry are sometimes referred to as Primula x polyanthus.

So in english the Common Primrose hybridise with Cowslips, this produces the False Oxlip which is commonly mistaken for the True Oxlip. This is another perfect example as to why botanical latin is so important to distinguish genus and species as all of the common names mentioned are all of the Primula genus.