[276] Primula veris, Cowslip
Introduction
I don’t normally separate species of plants in the same genus but Primula veris, the (Common) Cowslip, and [277] Primula vulgaris, the Primrose, are two different common and widespread wildflowers associated with meadows and agricultural grassland.
You can find out more about the Primrose and the Primula genus tomorrow. You may want to read tomorrow’s blog first.
Primula veris is also known as Cowslip Primrose and a few other species are also called Cowslips.
Taxonomy
Kingdom – Plants
Division – Vascular Plants
Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)
Order – Ericales
Family – Primulaceae
Genus – Primula
Scientific Name – Primula veris
Name
Cowslip is derived unsurprisingly from Cow-slip. (But see below.) The Old English ‘slip’ meant a muddy, pasty substance so there ae two theories. Cowslips are either associated with the boggy, slippery pastures where we find cows, or with the cow dung.
I don’t think I have to remind you about [054] Cows.
Description
The Cowslip is a very low-growing plant with a rosette of large wrinkly leaves.
It is most likely to be noticed when in flower. Individual flowers are small but come in very tight bunches on an erect stem. They have an elongated bell shape with an open end and are bright yellow, emerging vertically and then falling to a drooping form. Most of the flower apart from the end is usually surrounded by light green sepals.
Habitat and use
The Cowslip is found in most of temperate Europe and western Asia. It is generally common and widespread through the UK but is absent from parts of northern Scotland. Found in open grassland and meadows, it has become less common with modern agricultural methods. It may be having a partial revival because of the growing practice of sowing wildflower mixtures in parks and gardens and on roadside verges.
It is quite rare as a cultivated plant, except in hybrids with Primula vulgaris.
Other Notes
English is a complex language and it is interesting to note that we think of this flower as a Cow-slip, rather than a Cow’s-lip (or Cows-lip) because the two are pronounced differently. Without the hyphen, we can’t tell from the spelling!
This is not true of the close relative the Oxlip, Primula elatior, a fairly similar looking close relative virtually restricted to East Anglia in the UK. (You may see it as ox-lip, but it’s actually ox-slip.)
See also
Primrose and some more about the Primula genus tomorrow,
The Species of Britain 