prairie wildflower
Common evening-primrose
Oenothera biennis
Also known as King's Cure-all, Common Evening Primrose
1 of 3Native to much of the USA and Canada
Newfoundland to southeastern Alberta, south to Georgia, Louisiana and northeastern Texas
- Light Full sun to shade Sun tolerance
- Moisture Dry Moisture preference
- Zones 3–9 Cold to heat range
- Bloom Jul–Sep Flowering time
- Height up to 6 ft to 1.8 m
- Life cycle Biennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A prairie wildflower for sun through shade and lean, dry soil. At up to 6 ft, it needs room in meadows and sunny borders. Hardy in USDA zones 3–9.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
Pollinators & wildlife
- Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee
also Western Honey Bee, Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee +33 more
Two-spotted Bumble Bee, American Bumble Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Two-spotted Longhorn Bee, Perplexing Bumble Bee, Northern Amber Bumble Bee, Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bee, Sculptured Resin Bee, Great Basin Bumble Bee, Confusing Furrow Bee, Orange-tipped Wood-digger, Texas Leafcutter Bee, Cherry Mining Bee, Ceratina dupla, Osmia conjuncta, Illinois Cuckoo Sweat Bee, Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, Short-fringed Miner, Evening Primrose Sweat Bee, Peponapis pruinosa, Xylocopa virginica virginica, Clay Bumble Bee, Lasioglossum glabriusculum, Green Furrow Bee, Megachile pilidens, Lobe-spurred Furrow Bee, Great Banded Furrow Bee, Garden Bumble Bee, Common Carder Bumble Bee, Svastra obliqua, Agapostemon viridulus, Svastra compta - Flower flies Margined Calligrapher
also Eastern Calligrapher, Common Drone Fly, Thick-legged Hover Fly +9 more
Eurasian Drone Fly, Oblique-banded Pond Fly, Hairy-eyed Bee-mimic Fly, Common Globetail, Marmalade Hover Fly, Maize Calligrapher, Cheilosia nigripes, Tapered Drone Fly, Chrysotoxum cautum - Butterflies Monarch
also Red Admiral, Silver-spotted Skipper, Spicebush Swallowtail +4 more
Cloudless Sulphur, Peck's Skipper, Clouded Skipper, Anise Swallowtail - Also visited by
- Moths:
White-lined Sphinx, Virginian Tiger Moth +9 more
Snowberry Clearwing, Eight-spotted Forester Moth, Maple Looper Moth, Dingy Cutworm Moth, Nessus Sphinx, Subgothic and Tricose Darts, Convolvulus Hawkmoth, Primrose Moth, Pale-banded Dart - Beetles:
Asian Lady Beetle, Seven-spotted Lady Beetle +8 more
Spotted Cucumber Beetle, Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, Margined Leatherwing Beetle, Spotted Pink Lady Beetle, Two-spotted Lady Beetle, brunnea species group, Mournful Long-horned Beetle, Emerald Euphoria - Hummingbirds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Birds:
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Downy Woodpecker +1 more
American Goldfinch - Wasps:
Blackjacket, European tube wasp +1 more
American Yellowjacket
- Moths:
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- Cloudless sulphurnectar
- Monarch butterflynectar
- Red admiralnectar
- Silver-spotted skippernectar
- Spicebush swallowtailnectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- Much of the USA and CanadaUnited States (38): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV. Canada (8): AB, MB, NB, NS, ON, PE, QC, SK. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Newfoundland to southeastern Alberta, south to Georgia, Louisiana and northeastern TexasThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Full sun to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- DryThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 3–9 · Canadian 2–8The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Rocky or sandy soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to medium (sandy to loamy)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- 5.0–7.0The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Salinity tolerance
- NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
- Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
- MediumHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.
Growth & form
- Height
- up to 6 ft (to 1.8 m)Typical mature height.
- Life cycle
- BiennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- RapidA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
- Shape
- ErectIts overall silhouette.
- Root depth
- 10+ in (25+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- Jul–SepWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- YellowThe bloom color, or colors.
- Toxicity
- None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.
Propagation & seed
- Cold stratification
- Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
- Propagation
- SeedHow to start new plants.
- Seed
- ~1 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
- Seed spread rate
- ModerateHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
- Seedling vigor
- HighHow strongly young seedlings establish.
- Vegetative spread
- NoneWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.