Species page
Showy Evening Primrose
Oenothera grandis
Onagraceae
Yellow
There are about thirty species of yellow-flowered evening primroses in Texas (in two genera), and they can be difficult to distinguish. The common name “evening primrose” comes from the fact that the flowers in many of them open near sunset and stay open on into the evening (while others open near sunrise), a timing that coordinates with the daily activity patterns of their pollinators, which are often hawkmoths. This particular species loves open sandy areas of many parts of the state, and is one of the evening-bloomers; by early the next morning, the flowers are usually wilted.
