Perennial of the Primulaceae family, this cultivar is linked to Primula marginata, an endemic species of the Franco-Italian Maritime Alps, where it occupies cliffs and crevices of limestone rocks between approximately 1,000 and 2,500 meters altitude. 'Pritchard's Variety' is one of the older cultivars most regularly cited in the literature of the Alpine Garden Society, associated with the British nurseryman Pritchard, although the precise details of its origin remain poorly documented.
The foliage has fairly broad, spatulate leaves, from medium green to grayish green, with a white farinose visible especially on the margins and the underside. The farinose border of the toothed edges is clear and regular. The rosette is spread out, carried by a short and well-visible stipe, a typical characteristic of aged marginata in rock gardens.
The flowers are a fairly bright and vivid purple-violet, with a well-defined white farinose eye in the center, borne in sparse umbels on slender stems. The corolla has slightly notched, wide, and well-opened petals. In its natural environment, the species blooms from April to June depending on the altitude; in cultivation, flowering generally occurs in March-April.
It requires rigorous drainage, a slightly calcareous mineral substrate, and protection against excessive moisture in winter. Cultivation among the stones of an exposed rock garden suits it perfectly.