An efarinose plant up to 15 cm or more tall. Leaves coetaneous, 12-40 x 5-10 mm, spathulate, obtuse, entire to subdentate, sometimes subacute, lamina attenuate towards the base, nerves faint. Scape (2-) 3.5-15 cm long, 1-4 (-7)-flowered, glabrous, slender or sometimes more or less stout. Larger bracts 5-9 mm long, elliptic-oblong, sparsely punctate, minutely puberulous on the margins, base saccate, c. 1 mm long, obtuse. Pedicels variable in length and up to 3 cm long. Flowers heteromorphic, rose to lavender-pink. Calyx 5.5-7 mm long, tubularcampanulate, sparse punctate with blackish dots, 1/3rd cleft; lobes ovate-obtuse, minutely glandulose on the margins. Corolla tube 1½-2 times the calyx length; limb 12-15 mm broad, lobes 4-5.5 x 3-4.5 mm, obovate, emarginate to retuse, throat annulate, yellow. Style 7-9 mm long (in pin-eyed flowers), sub-exserted. Capsule tubular-cylindric, exceeding the calyx. Seeds less than 1 mm, ovoid to subglobose in outline, glabrous.

Fl. Per.: June-August.

Lectotype: Gmelin, Fl. Sibrica, tab. 46, fig. 1. 1769 (fide Fedorov in Acad. Novitates Systematicae 191.1966).

Distribution: N. America, N. Europe, W. & E. Siberia, N. Mongolia, N.W. & W. Himalaya.

Otto Schwarz (in Wiss Zeit Friedr.-Schill. Univ. Jena Math. Nat. Reiche 17(3). 1968), it seems was the first person to have drawn attention to the correct nomenclature. An earlier reference to Primula nutans is by J.G. Gmelin (1769).

The species is widespread and closely related to Primula pamirica Fedorov, from which it differs in having a more slender habit, the fewer flowers per umbel and the calyx which is less glandular-punctate.