Perennial of the Primulaceae family, this cultivar is derived from Primula marginata, a species endemic to the Franco-Italian Maritime Alps, where it inhabits cliffs and crevices of limestone rocks between 1,000 and 2,500 meters in altitude. 'Fred Salter' is an old cultivar, regularly cited in the literature of British alpine plant societies, appreciated for the exceptional intensity of its floral color.
The foliage is grayish-green, abundantly covered with a white farinose that gives it a very glaucous, almost silvery appearance. The leaves are strongly toothed on the margins, with a well-visible farinose edge. The rosette is compact, spread out, carried by a short stipe. The flower buds, a dark purple-violet almost black before anthesis, themselves constitute a striking ornament at the time of emergence.
The open flowers are a very bright magenta to purple-violet, with a well-defined central farinose white eye, borne in generous umbels on short stems. The floral profusion on such a compact plant is striking. In its natural habitat, the species' flowering extends from April to June depending on altitude; in cultivation, this cultivar generally blooms in March-April.
It requires rigorous drainage, a slightly calcareous mineral substrate, and protection against stagnant moisture in winter. Cultivation between the stones of a well-exposed rock garden suits it perfectly.