Ozark Sundrops

Did you know

• Ozark sundrops produce some of the largest yellow flowers of any prairie native—each lemon-yellow saucer can be over 4 inches across, the size of a small dinner plate.
• The flowers open in late afternoon and stay open all night—they're pollinated by sphinx moths in the Ozark foothills, who hover and drink the rich nectar by moonlight.
• After the flowers fade, huge winged seedpods develop—they're so distinctive they look like alien spacecraft and dry to a beautiful papery beige for winter interest.
• Despite being a Great Plains native, Ozark sundrops form a low spreading mat just inches tall—the huge flowers seem to float just above the silvery-green leaves like saucers on water.
• Native peoples of the Plains used the roots as a folk treatment for asthma—and the seeds, like all evening primroses, contain gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a rare omega-6 fatty acid valued in skincare.

Color meanings

Uses

• Rock gardens
• Drought-tolerant landscaping
• Prairie gardens
• Native plant gardens