What is "primula vulgaris"

Primrose \Prim"rose`\, n. [OE. primerole, F. primerole, a derivative fr. LL. primula, from L. primus first. See Prime, a.] (Bot.)

1. An early flowering plant of the genus Primula ( Primula vulgaris) closely allied to the cowslip. There are several varieties, as the white-, the red-, the yellow-flowered, etc. Formerly called also primerole, primerolles.

2. Any plant of the genus Primula.

   Evening primrose, an erect biennial herb ( Enothera biennis), with yellow vespertine flowers, common in the United States. The name is sometimes extended to other species of the same genus.

   Primrose peerless, the two-flowered Narcissus ( Narcissus biflorus). [Obs.]

Primula vulgaris (primrose, syn. P. acaulis (L.) Hill) is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western and southern Europe (from the Faroe Islands and Norway south to Portugal, and east to Germany, Ukraine, the Crimea, and the Balkans), northwest Africa (Algeria), and southwest Asia (Turkey east to Iran). The common name is primrose, or occasionally common primrose or English primrose to distinguish it from other Primula species also called primroses.