A perennial of the Primulaceae family, this primrose is found in the central and eastern Alps, from the Swiss Alps to the Carpathians, where it grows on high-altitude limestone lawns and rocks, between approximately 1,800 and 2,800 meters.
It forms small compact rosettes, with oblong-spatulate leaves, slightly crenate, grey-green, distinctly farinose. The floral stem, also very farinose and whitish, slender and erect, reaches 5 to 15 cm and bears a sparsely populated umbel of fairly bright pink-lilac flowers with a yellow eye. The floral tube, very elongated, significantly longer than in most alpine primroses of the Farinosae section, is the most distinctive feature of the species.
In its natural habitat, it blooms from June to July. In cultivation, it blooms in May-June.
It requires a limestone soil, very well-drained, cool in depth, and poorly tolerates stagnant winter moisture. Cultivation in rock gardens or alpine troughs with protection against excess moisture in winter suits it well.