Primula auricula - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Primula auricula, often known as Auricula, mountain cowslip or bear's ear (from the shape of its leaves), is a species of primrose

Primula

Primula is a genus of 400–500 species of low-growing herbs in the family Primulaceae. They include primrose, auricula, cowslip and oxlip. Many species are grown for their ornamental flowers...

that grows on basic rocks in the mountain ranges of central Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, including the western Alps

Alps

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

, Jura

Jura mountains

The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...

, the Vosges

Vosges

Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...

, the Black Forest

Black Forest

The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....

and the Tatra

Tatra Mountains

The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...

mountains. The leaves are obovate and stalkless, with a cartilaginous edge, all growing in a basal rosette

Rosette (botany)

In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves, with all the leaves at a single height.Though rosettes usually sit near the soil, their structure is an example of a modified stem.-Function:...

. The yellow flowers grow in clusters on 5-20 cm long stalks.

A recent study split the species into two, Primula lutea
Primula lutea
Primula lutea is a species of primrose that grows on basic rocks in the mountain ranges of southeastern Europe, including the southern and eastern Alps, southern Carpathians, Apennines, and the Balkans. The leaves are obovate and stalkless, with a cartilaginous edge, all growing in a basal rosette...

and P. auricula, with the former being found further south and east (Apennines

Apennine mountains

The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...

, Carpathians

Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...

, Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...

, and the southern and eastern Alps). Prior to this study, P. lutea had been considered synonymous with P. auricula. Other synonyms of P. auricula include P. balbisii and P. ciliata.

Primula auricula is on the obverse side of Austrian € 0.05 euro

Austrian euro coins

Austrian euro coins have a unique design for each denomination, with a common theme for each of the three series of coins. The minor coins feature Austrian flowers, the middle coins examples of architecture from Austria's capital, Vienna, and the two major coins famous Austrians...

coins.

Further reading