Species page

Showy Primrose

Oenothera speciosa

The pink evening primrose is a native Texas favorite that is sown by the highway department in most parts of the state; either scattered or in great masses, it is an integral part of the spring roadside floral displays. A fairly small, generally sprawling plant, it is also quite happy in diverse other open habitats, including lawns. The flowers, which occur in the spring and summer, vary from pink-and-white to all white, usually with a yellow eye in either case. Interestingly, in the northern part of the state the white-flowered form is more common and the flowers open late in the day, while in the rest of the state the pink flowered form (which is the more planted form) usually predominates, the flowers opening in the morning--but there are plenty of exceptions to that pattern.