Common name: Primrose
Scientific name: primula vulgaris
Family: Primulaceae; cowslip and scarlet pimpernel are other members of this family in the reserve.
Description: a small rosette-shaped perennial with pale yellow, scented flowers, each with five notched petals, on a slender stem
Habitat: shady banks and ditches, woodland floors in partial shade before the full canopy develops. The ditch at Fiveways and the old boundary banks in the north of Village Green are full of primroses.
Pollination: insect pollinated
Origin: native.
Conservation status: Green – Least concern; primroses are widespread and common but loss of habitat and inappropriate land management can lead to a local decline.
DYK: April 19th is Primrose Day, the anniversary of the death of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, in 1881
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 