Common name: Evening Primrose, Sundrop
Family: Onagraceae, Evening Primrose
Height x width: 6-24" x 12-18" depending on species
Growth rate: moderate to fast
Foliage: alternate, lanceolate 2-4" long, softly hairy
Flowers: white to pink or yellow, 1"-4" wide, some with scent, in upper leaf axils; early to mid summer; some species flower at night (nocturnal) opening in the evening (vespertine), others only flower in day (diurnal) closing at night
Hardiness: zones 3-7 or 8
Soil: well-drained, tolerates and spreads less in dry, infertile soils
Light: sun
Pests and Problems: root rot in wet soils, botrytis blight of flowers in wet weather
Landscape habit, uses: raised beds or rock gardens, slopes, poor soil sites, meadows, small masses in borders where tends to be aggressive
Other interest: genus name is Greek for wine tasting, refering to supposed use of roots of some species as food with after-dinner wines; native to U.S.
Other culture: see notes under landscape uses and soils; speciosa tolerates heat and humidity of South being native to that region; cut back species unattractive after flowering for rosette development
Propagation: seed, division, stem or root cuttings which root readily
Species:
Of the main species seen in commerce, summarized in the table below, the following couple are the most commonly seen with their cultivars.
fruticosa (fruu-ti-co' sah)--Common Sundrops, club-shaped seed capsule
macrocarpa (ma-crow-car' pah)(missouriensis)--Ozark Sundrops or Missouri Evening Primrose (from native region); solitary, papery, lemon yellow funnel shaped flowers
speciosa (spee-cee-o' sah)--Showy Evening Primrose (although
diurnal flowering), native to south central U.S., some cultivars scented
| Species | zones | height | flowers | bloom | other |
| berlandieri:speciosa 'Rosea' | |||||
| biennis | 4-8 | 4-8' | yellow | nocturnal | variable, biennial, reseeds |
| caespitosa | 4-7 | 4-8" | white, pink | nocturnal | fragrant, native to western U.S. |
| fruticosa | 4-8 | 18-24" | yellow | diurnal | many of better cultivars |
| drummondii | 6-9 | 4-18" | pale yellow | diurnal | native to sandy seashore beaches |
| glazioviana | 3-8 | 3-4' | yellow, reddish | nocturnal | buds twirl open |
| lamarkiana:glazioviana | |||||
| macrocarpa | 5-8 | 18-24" | yellow | nocturnal | |
| missouriensis:macrocarpa | |||||
| odorata:glazioviana | |||||
| pallida | |||||
| perennis | 3-8 | 12-24" | yellow | diurnal | nodding flowers |
| pumila:perennis | |||||
| speciosa | 5-8 | 12-24" | white, rose | diurnal | spreads rapidly, better in West |
| tetragona:fruticosa ssp. glauca |
Cultivars:
| Cultivar | species | flowers | other |
| 'Alba' | speciosa | white | vigorous |
| 'Fireworks' | fruticosa | yellow | 18", 2-3" flowers, red stems |
| subsp. glauca | fruticosa | yellow | broad, gray, smooth leaves, syn. tetragona |
| 'Highlights' | fruticosa | yellow | 12", 2" flowers |
| 'Hohes Licht':'Highlights' | |||
| 'Pink Petticoats' | speciosa | pink | vigorous, scented |
| 'Rosea' | speciosa | rose | prostrate 6-12" tall |
| 'Siskiyou' | speciosa | pink | 2" wide, saucer-shaped flowers, 8" tall |
| 'Sonnenwende':'Summer Solstice' | |||
| 'Summer Solstice' | fruticosa | yellow | 18-24" tall, subsp. glauca, red fall foliage |
| 'Woodside White' | speciosa | white, red eye | 15" tall |
| 'Yellow River' | fruticosa | canary yellow | 18", 2-3" flowers, brick red stems |
| 'Youngii' | fruticosa | bright yellow | 18", 2-3" flowers |
| 'Youngii-lapsley' | fruticosa | yellow | 20" tall |
©Authored by Dr. Leonard Perry, Professor, University of Vermont as part of PSS123 course.
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