Originally belonging the the genus Cortusa, these plants have been shown by DNA studies to be Primula - and members of the Cortusoides section (i.e. they look like Cortusa. What a surprise!) They usually have bright pink flowers, sometimes white, with a characteristically prominent stigma closely surrounded by the stamens. What were separate species are now subspecies of Primula matthioli. They are all rather similar.

Primula (Cortusa) matthioli subsp. sachalinensis makes small, neat clumps of rounded leaves with lovely, nodding umbels of delicate deep pink flowers. It is sometimes given specific status as Cortusa sachalinensis, but the differences between the taxa are small - some would say non-existent! It comes, of course, from Sakhalin Island.