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Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Oenothera rhombipetala (Fourpoint evening-primrose)
Marcus, Joseph A.

Oenothera rhombipetala

Oenothera rhombipetala Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray

Fourpoint Evening-primrose, Four-point Evening Primrose, Diamond Petal Primrose, Greater Four-point Evening-primrose

Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family)

Synonym(s): Oenothera heterophylla var. rhombipetala, Raimannia rhombipetala

USDA Symbol: OERH

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

As a biennial, this plant produces a rosette of leaves the first year and in the second year an erect, leafy stem 1-3+ 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

15 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 5 feet tall, often shorter.

Bloom Information

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

Distribution

USA: AR , IA , IL , KS , LA , MI , MN , MO , ND , NE , NM , 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, Savannas, Woodlands' edge, Opening

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

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

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

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Seed sown in fall
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.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: FACU FACU FACU FACU FACU FACU
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Bibliography

Bibref 766 - Dale Groom's Texas Gardening Guide (2002) Groom, D.
Bibref 610 - Edible wild plants of the prairie : an ethnobotanical guide (1987) Kindscher, K.
Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Bibref 286 - Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

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: 2023-02-21
Research By: DEW, JSC, WFS

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