Primula veris

What to Eat

Edible parts: Flowers, Leaves, Spice, Leaves - tea, Nectar

Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked in soups; they are not particularly tasty but are available in late winter. Fresh or dried leaves can be used as a tea substitute. Flowers can be eaten raw, cooked, or used in conserves and as a garnish — they make an ornamental addition to a salad bowl. When this species was more abundant, flowers were harvested in quantity each spring and used to make a wine noted for its sedative and nervine properties. A related species, Primula elatior, is listed by the Council of Europe as a natural food flavouring.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Europe, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mediterranean, North America, Norway, Romania, Scandinavia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine, USA,

How to Identify

A herb. It grows 30 cm high and spreads 40 cm wide. It keeps growing from year to year. The leaves can be smooth or have coarse teeth. They are 5-20 cm long. The leaves grow from the base of the stem. The flower stems are downy. They have up to 16 yellow flowers. The flowers are sweet smelling. The sepals are pale green.

How to Grow

Prefers a medium to heavy moisture retentive humus rich loam in a cool position with light to medium shade. Grows well in heavy clay soils and on chalk. Prefers full sun and a well-drained alkaline soil if it is to survive well. Plants are hardy to about -20°c. A very ornamental plant, it grows well in the spring meadow. The flowers diffuse a sweet fragrance quite unlike all other flower scents. It has been likened by some to the breath of a cow (cuslippe is the Saxon word for this and thus the origin of the common name), by others to the sweet milky breath of a tiny child.

Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed can be sown in early spring in a cold frame — germination is inhibited by temperatures above 20°C. When large enough to handle, prick seedlings into individual pots and plant out in summer. Divide in autumn, ideally every other year.

Medicinal Uses

Cowslips are an underused but valuable medicinal herb with a long history of use, particularly for conditions involving spasms, cramps, paralysis and rheumatic pains. The plant contains saponins with an expectorant effect, and salicylates — the main ingredient of aspirin — which have anodyne, anti-inflammatory and febrifuge effects. This remedy should not be prescribed for pregnant women, patients sensitive to aspirin, or those taking anti-coagulant drugs such as warfarin. The flowers and leaves are anodyne, diaphoretic, diuretic and expectorant; they are harvested in spring and can be used fresh or dried. The yellow corolla of the flower is antispasmodic and sedative, recommended for treating over-activity and sleeplessness especially in children, and potentially valuable for asthma and other allergic conditions. An oil once produced by maceration of the flowers has an antiecchymotic effect, treating bruising. The root contains 5–10% triterpenoid saponins that are strongly expectorant, stimulating a more liquid mucus and easing clearance of phlegm; dried and powdered, it has also been used as a sternutatory. The root is additionally mildly diuretic, antirheumatic and slows blood clotting, and is used for chronic coughs (especially those associated with chronic bronchitis and catarrhal congestion), flu and other febrile conditions. It can be harvested in spring or autumn and dried for later use. The leaves share similar medicinal properties to the roots but are weaker in action. A homeopathic remedy made from the plant is used for kidney complaints and catarrh. The German Commission E Monographs approve Primula veris for cough and bronchitis.

Other Uses

None known.

Primula veris, the cowslip, common cowslip, or cowslip primrose (syn. Primula officinalis Hill), is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the primrose family Primulaceae. The species is native throughout most of temperate Europe and western Asia, and although absent from more northerly areas including much of northwest Scotland, it reappears in northernmost Sutherland and Orkney and in Scandinavia. This species frequently hybridizes with other Primulas such as the common primrose Primula vulgaris to form false oxlip (Primula × polyantha) which is often confused with true oxlip (Primula elatior), a much rarer plant.

Other Information

It is cultivated.

Notes

There are about 400 Primula species.

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