Flower profile

Parry's primrose

Primula parryi

Parry's primrose (Primula parryi) is a flowering plant in the Primulaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Parry's primrose is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.

8states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

3,304U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado, Wyoming

Quick look

Primula parryi, or Parry's primrose, is a herbaceous perennial native to wet areas from the subalpine zone to alpine tundra in the Rocky Mountains from Montana to Arizona and New Mexico.
From Wikipedia's article Primula parryi, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Primulaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 8 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Colorado and Wyoming. ^NatureServe
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,233 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #69 among the 160 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 293 research-grade sightings of it in Wyoming, ranking #98 among the 113 flowers on our Wyoming list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (181 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Colorado	Native	June–August	2,233
Wyoming	Native	few records (17)	293

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Colorado.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Wyoming.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Primula vulgaris (“Primrose”), as toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records parry's primrose in 8 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Boulder, Chaffee, Clear Creek, Custer, Eagle, El Paso, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Mesa, Montezuma, Park, Pitkin, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, Summit.

Wyoming counties with USDA records: Albany, Big Horn, Carbon, Fremont, Johnson, Lincoln, Park, Sheridan, Sublette, Teton.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 67 counties across 8 states; the most are in Colorado (23), Utah (20), Wyoming (10).

Other Primula on Bloomipedia (3): Henderson's shooting star, Eastern shooting star, Dark-throated shooting star.

More from the Primulaceae family (14 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Scarlet pimpernel, Northern starflower, Western starflower, Creeping jenny, Fringed loosestrife, Whorled loosestrife, Swamp candles, Coralberry.

More Colorado flowers

Dark-throated shooting star

Primula pauciflora

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–July

Great mullein

Verbascum thapsus

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: July–October

Blue columbine

Aquilegia coerulea

★ CO state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in CO: June–August

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PRPA.
iNaturalist, Primula parryi: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Primula parryi (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Primula parryi (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Grant Chovil via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.