This plant is the fertile hybrid between Primula elatior (Oxlip) and Primula vulgaris (Primrose). At this site both P. elatior and P. vulgaris grow together with good numbers of both to be seen. The hybrid is therefore not uncommon. P. vulgaris has long shaggy hairs and P. elatior has much shorter ones so the hybrid tends to have a mixture of hairs but the obvious feature is that a plant with flowers on one side has to be a hybrid.

However identifying hybrids situation is complicated by back-crossing and some F > 1 hybrids can look like either parent. On this trip I found some "Oxlips" which were far too shaggily hairy to be genuine Primula elatior and suggest they are back crosses of the fertile hybrid with parent Oxlip.

False Oxlip is a common name sometimes used to describe the hybrid between Primula vulgaris and Primula veris (P. x polyantha) just to confuse matters.

The native Primula elatior is mostly confined to a few woods in East Anglia and Buckinghamshire and in other places has been introduced. It is not found in Wales or Ireland - this restricts the possible sites for the hybrid P. x digenea which has only been recorded in or near East Anglia in England.

Waresley Wood, near Great Gransden, Cambs, 8th April 2010

Added 12th April 2010