Primrose

Because it blooms so early in the springtime ) throughout much of Europe), the common primrose is given its name.  The word"primrose" is from Old French primerose through medieval Latin prima rosa, meaning "first rose." The plant is actually not closely related to the rose family, though that may not have been known when it entered English in the first half of the fifteenth century.

Primula vulgaris is a species native to western and southern Europe and east to Germany, Ukraine, the Crimea, and the Balkans and into northwest Africa and southwest Asia.

It is an edible plant and its flowers can be made into wine.

The Evening Primrose (Oenothera) is a genus of about 125 species of herbaceous flowering plants, native to North and South America. It is also known as suncups and sundrops. Although they share the name, they are not closely related to the true primroses and not really related to early spring.

This was a plant we had in our home garden and as a child I loved the fact that unlike all the other flowers, they opened within minutes of  "evening."

Most of the species have yellow flowers but there are white (especially desert plants), purple, pink and red. a few.

Primrose has become a more popular baby name recently because of the books and movies of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Primrose Everdeen is the name of the main character's beloved kid sister who follows in the herbal healing ways of her mother.

Primrose is also the name of some American towns including ones in Alaska, Nebraska, Rhode Island
and Wisconsin.