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Oenothera rhombipetala (Diamond petal primrose)
Marcus, Joseph A.

Oenothera rhombipetala Nutt. ex Torr. & Gray

Diamond petal primrose, Four-Point Evening Primrose, Fourpoint evening-primrose, Greater four-point evening-primrose

Onagraceae (Evening-Primrose Family)

USDA Symbol: OERH

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

As a biennial, this plant produces a rosette of leaves the first year and in the second year an erect, leafy stem 2-3 ft. tall. The loose flowering spike is composed of yellow, 2-3 in. flowers, each with four wide petals which taper to a blunt point. The flowers open in the evening and wither the following morning.

Often seen along roadsides. In the South this plant will continue to bloom through the summer if well watered.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Size Class: 1-3 ft.
Size Notes: 2-3

Bloom Information

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

Distribution

USA: AR , IL , IA , KS , LA , MI , MN , MO , NE , NM , ND , OK , SC , SD , TX , WI
Native Distribution: Locally from n. IN to e. MN & s.w. SD, s. to TX; naturalized eastward
Native Habitat: Prairie, Plains, Meadows, Pastures, Savannahs, Woodlands edge, Opening
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Sandy, Sandy Loam
Conditions Comments: This plant can be naturalized in a meadow but it is best in the garden where it receives summer water. It can be grown from seed sown in situ or transplanted when very small as it has a taproot. To bloom, it has to winter over, although it sometimes bloom the first spring. It seeds out best in bare areas and under parent plants so you may want to keep an area just for evening primroses. In the South this plant will continue to bloom through the summer if watered well.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Color, Attractive, Showy
Use Medicinal: Leaves used for poultice.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Nectar Source: yes

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Seed sown in fall
Seed Collection: Not Available
Seed Treatment: Not Available
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Prevent complete soil dryness, Remove spent blossoms, Maintain mulch layer, Fertilize in spring with rose food

 

Find Seed or Plants

Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

* Available Online from Wildflower Center Store

Bibliography

Dale Groom's Texas Gardening Guide (2002) Groom, D.
Edible wild plants of the prairie : an ethnobotanical guide (1987) Kindscher, K.
* Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
* Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2008-05-24
Research By: DEW, JSC, WFS

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