prairie wildflower

Narrowleaf evening primrose

Oenothera fruticosa

Also known as Narrowleaf Evening-primrose, Narrow-leaf Evening-primrose, Sundrops

Native to much of the USA

Southern New England to New York, Tennessee and Missouri, south to Florida and Oklahoma

In the garden

A prairie wildflower for full sun and evenly moist soil. At up to 3 ft, it suits meadows and sunny borders. Hardy in USDA zones 4–9.

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Find your zone:

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Bumble Bee +25 more
American Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Northern Amber Bumble Bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Rugose-chested Sweat Bee, Parallel-striped Sweat Bee, Silver-tailed Petalcutter, Megachile brevis, Ceratina dupla, Colletes nudus, Experienced Sweat Bee, False Sunflower Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Broad-faced Masked Bee, Illinois Cuckoo Sweat Bee, white-winged sweat bee, Evening Primrose Sweat Bee, Yellow-spotted Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Dilated-horned Small-Mason, cranberry leafcutter bee, Agapostemon viridulus, Hoplitis pilosifrons, Tetragona dissecta, Megachile policaris
Flower flies Common Drone Fly

also Transverse-banded Flower Fly, Oblique Streaktail, Long-tailed Aphideater +5 more
Eurasian Drone Fly, Black-shouldered Drone Fly, Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly, Sphaerophoria cylindricus, Shiny Thickleg
Beetles Amorpha Borer also Mordellistena comata, Onthophagus pennsylvanicus
Also visited by
- Butterflies:
  
  Silver-spotted Skipper, Peck's Skipper +2 more
  Checkered White, Polites coras

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Habitat: PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USAUnited States (28): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, WV. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Southern New England to New York, Tennessee and Missouri, south to Florida and OklahomaThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Light: Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 4–9 · Canadian 5–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Well-drained soils. Tolerant of brackish and lime soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil pH: 4.5–7.0The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: HighHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Salinity tolerance: HighHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: HighHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Height: up to 3 ft (to 0.9 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 6+ in (15+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Cold stratification: Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Bare root, seedHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~4 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: MediumHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: NoneWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.