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Onagraceae
Mexican Evening Primrose
Oenothera speciosa
Fleeting beauty and evening reverie.
- Family
- Onagraceae
- Genus
- Oenothera
- Native to
- southern United States, Mexico
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Summer
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 30–60 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained; tolerates poor and rocky soils
- Water
- low; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 4–9
- Lifespan
- perennial; spreads vigorously
Did you know
- Despite its name, the Mexican evening primrose actually opens its flowers during the day rather than at dusk.
- It spreads aggressively by underground rhizomes and can colonize an entire garden bed in one season.
- The flowers have distinctive dark-veined petals that serve as nectar guides for pollinators.
- Native Americans used the roots and leaves medicinally to treat skin ailments and stomach complaints.
- Each flower lasts only a day, but the plant produces so many blooms it appears perpetually in flower.
Color meanings
Pink
tenderness in twilight
White
quiet nocturnal grace