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Onagraceae
Whirling Butterflies
Oenothera lindheimeri
Lightness, dancing grace, summer breeze.
- Family
- Onagraceae
- Genus
- Oenothera
- Native to
- Texas, Louisiana
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer, Fall
- Type
- Perennial
- Height
- 60–120 cm (2–4 ft)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Hardiness
- 5–9
- Lifespan
- Short-lived perennial
Did you know
- The flowers look like tiny butterflies hovering on long wiry stems—the slightest breeze sets them dancing, giving the plant its perfect common name.
- Each four-petaled bloom has long protruding stamens that flick in all directions, mimicking butterfly antennae and adding to the illusion of insects in flight.
- Gaura is one of the longest-blooming perennials in the prairie garden—a single plant produces fresh flowers continuously from May until November, even through summer droughts that wilt other plants.
- Despite being only short-lived (3–5 years), gaura self-seeds gracefully and has become a darling of modern naturalistic garden design, especially in Piet Oudolf's prairie-inspired plantings.
- Native to Texas Hill Country, gaura was named after Ferdinand Lindheimer, the 'father of Texas botany,' who collected the species in 1844 from prairies near New Braunfels.
Color meanings
0
lightness
1
dancing grace
2
summer breeze