Cowslip

Primula veris

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
For more information please download the BSBI Code of Conduct PDF document.

Plant Data

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Order:

Ericales

Family:

Primulaceae (Primrose)

Also in this family:

Bird's-eye Primrose, Common Primrose, Creeping Jenny, Dotted Loosestrife, False Oxlip, Fringed Loosestrife, Japanese Cowslip, Scarlet Pimpernel, Sea Milkwort, Sowbread, Yellow Loosestrife, Yellow Pimpernel

Type:

Flower

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Maximum Size:

25 centimetres tall

Habitats:

Grassland, hedgerows, meadows, scrub, woodland.

Flower:

Yellow, 5 petals

Deep yellow bell-shaped drooping flower, hanging to one side of the stem. Orange at the base, up to 1.5cm.

Fruit:

A capsule which contains a warty seed.

Leaves:

The leaves are all undivided and appear from the base of the plant. They are similar to Primrose leaves but smaller and with a narrowed base. The leaves are oval and wrinkly with toothed margins.

Aroma:

Fragrant flowers.

Other Names:

Artetyke, Arthritica, Buckels, Bunch of Keys, Butter Rose, Common Cowslip, Coqueluchon, Coucou, Cowslip Primrose, Crewel, Cuy, Drelip, English Cowslip, Fairies' Flower, Fairy Caps, Freckled Face, Golden Drops, Herb de Saint Paul, Herb Peter, Key Flower, Key of Heaven, Lady's Key, Lippe, Long Legs, Mayflower, Milk Maidens, Our Lady's Keys, Paigle, Paigle Peggle, Palsywort, Paralysio, Password, Peagle, Peagles, Petty Mulleins, Plumrocks, Primerolle, Primula.

Frequency (UK):

Common

Similar Species:

False Oxlip

Common Primrose

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map