These are woodland plants, with soft, hairy, more or less round leaves, which may be lobed or slightly toothed, and loose umbels of bright pink flowers, sometimes with two or three whorls of flowers. The plants in the genus Cortusa have now been shown to be Primulas, and their DNA puts them in the Cortusoides section. What a surprise! The ones that look like Cortusa really are the same thing. However, we still list them separately as Primula (Cortusa). We also list the varieties of Primula sieboldii separately, although that species is in the Cortusoides section.

Primula jesoana comes from mountains in Japan. It has rounded, lobed leaves, above which the flower stems carry one, sometimes two, whorls of deep pink flowers.