Birth flower
Primrose
Primula vulgaris. In the language of flowers, as lists print it today, it stands for young love. Kate Greenaway's dictionary of 1884 gives it another: “Early youth”. It is a custom of sentiment, not a scientific or official designation.
- Latin name
- Primula vulgaris
- Month
- February
- Meaning today
- young loveNot the reading of 1884: Kate Greenaway gives “Early youth”.
The plant itself
| Family | Primulaceae |
|---|---|
| Native to | Europe to the western Caucasus and Lebanon |
| Habit | perennial |
| Height | 8–15 cm |
| Flowers | March to April |
This is the plant in which Darwin described heterostyly, the "pin" and "thrum" flower forms whose anthers and stigmas sit at reciprocal heights so that insects are forced to cross-pollinate; the controlling S locus has since been shown to be a supergene that is simply absent in pin plants.
Where the names come from
The name came from the Old French primerose and, directly, from the Medieval Latin prima rosa, literally the first rose; English had it as prymrose by the late 1300s, after an earlier primerole. The genus name, Primula, which Linnaeus gave it, is from the Latin primulus, the very first, because it flowers early. The species name, vulgaris, is Latin for common, the epithet given to the common species of a genus.
Where the meaning is written down
- As the dictionary prints it
- Early youthUnder the heading “Primrose” in Kate Greenaway, Language of Flowers, 1884.
- As lists print it today
- Young loveA different reading from the entry quoted here; the note below says where it differs.
Greenaway gives "early youth" and Ingram's Flora Symbolica (1869) gives "youth"; both distinguish this from the evening primrose, a different plant with a different meaning.
Is it poisonous?
The ASPCA lists Primula vulgaris as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, causing mild vomiting; it names no specific part and no toxic principle.
Each finding above names who made it: the ASPCA's poisonous plant database, the Royal Horticultural Society's harm ratings, or a published report. This is general information and not veterinary advice — if an animal or a person has eaten part of a plant, ring a vet or a poison line rather than reading a website.