Mark A. Miller
Family
Onagraceae
Botanical Name
Oenothera mexicana
Plant Common Name
Hairy Cutleaf Evening Primrose, Mexican Evening Primrose, Texas Evening Primrose
General Description
Crepe-paper pink and white blended flowers don the Mexican evening primrose from winter to early summer. This ephemeral plant grows in the sandy soils of southern Texas where it usually flowers in late winter and into mid-spring. Some list this species as a synonym of Oenothera laciniata, which is distributed across the whole of the eastern North America, but the putative Oenothera Mexicana is a dryland narrow endemic that only exists in two counties in southern Texas.
The bright emerald green leaves are lance-shaped with occasional teeth on the edges. In late winter to early summer four-petaled, fragrant flowers that open from afternoon to dusk appear in clusters at the stem tips. The flower buds are pink and open to yellow-centered flowers in variable shades of pink and white. Butterflies and moths pollinate the blooms and elongated, upright seed capsules follow. Temperature and soil moisture determines whether this evening primrose endures as an annual or short-lived perennial.
Grow Mexican evening primrose in full to partial sun and well-drained, sandy soil. Use it as an accent for the mixed border or as a wildflower for an open meadow planting.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
10 - 6
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USDA Hardiness Zone
8 - 10
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Sunset Zone
H1, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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Plant Type
Perennial
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
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Height
6"-12" / 15.2cm - 30.5cm
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Width
10"-18" / 25.4cm - 45.7cm
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Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Late Winter
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Native To
Texas
