Primula obconica is a tender perennial from China, grown primarily as a pot plant that performs when most flowering houseplants are resting. Its funnel-shaped blooms in pale lilac or soft purple rise on bare stems from a rosette of elongated, glandular-haired leaves, and the yellow eye at each flower center gives the clusters a lit-from-within quality. It thrives in cool rooms, which makes it particularly useful on a north-facing windowsill in winter.

A note of caution is warranted: the fine hairs on its leaves secrete a compound called primin that causes contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals, so handling with gloves is advisable. After flowering, move it to a cool shaded spot to rest. In frost-free climates it can be planted outdoors in shade, but in most gardens it is treated as an annual or seasonal houseplant, discarded once the flush of bloom is over.