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Native Plant Database

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Oenothera elata (Hooker's evening-primrose)
Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Oenothera elata Kunth

Hooker's evening-primrose

Onagraceae (Evening-Primrose Family)

USDA Symbol: OEEL

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

A tall, erect, usually unbranched stem with large yellow flowers in a raceme.

Common Evening-primrose (O. biennis), found throughout most of the United States, has similar erect stems, but its petals are less than 1 (2.5 cm) long. Both are closely related to the Garden Evening-primrose (O. erythrosepala), scattered in the wild from western Washington to California, which is a taller plant, with redder sepals, paler petals about 1 1/2 (3.8 cm) long, and crinkled leaves.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Biennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf: Green
Flower:
Fruit:

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AZ , CA , CO , ID , KS , MT , NM , NV , OK , OR , TX , UT , WA , WY
Canada: NS
Native Distribution: Eastern Washington to Baja California; east to western Texas and southern Colorado.
Native Habitat: Open slopes, road banks, and grassy areas from the plains well into the mountains.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Sun
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

From the Archive

Wildflower Newsletter 1989 VOL. 6, NO.2 - Wildflower Network Operates in Louisiana, Wildflower Handbook Published, Researc...

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Oenothera elata in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Oenothera elata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Oenothera elata

Metadata

Record Modified: 2010-06-04
Research By: TWC Staff

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