Primula 'Saladin'

Hybrid of the Pruhoniciana group, 'Saladin' is a cultivar whose precise origin is not documented with certainty in the available sources. It stands out within the group by the particularly dark and intense shade of its flowers.

The plant forms a spreading rosette, with a low habit, reaching 10 to 12 cm in height in bloom. The leaves are large for the group, oval to slightly spatulate, of a bright and luminous green, with a distinctly bullate surface and crenate edge, borne on well-visible reddish petioles. The flowers are a very dark crimson red, almost burgundy, with a slightly velvety texture, with a bright yellow eye well-defined that stands out with striking clarity against the dark background of the petals. This contrast between the bright center and the almost black corolla in places constitutes the most immediately recognizable feature of the cultivar.

In cultivation, the flowering extends from March to April. Like other members of the group, 'Saladin' prefers a cool, humus-rich, and well-drained soil, in a situation of partial shade or light shade. Hardy in most temperate regions, it willingly associates with other spring primroses in rock gardens or at the edge of undergrowth.