| Pink primrose | ||||||||||||||
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| Oenothera speciosa Nutt. | ||||||||||||||
Pink primrose (Oenothera speciosa), also known as Pinkladies and Showy evening primrose, is a herbaceous perennial wildflower native to the southeastern United States and Mexico. The species name speciosa means "showy".
The Pink primrose has glaborous (smooth) to pubescent stems that grow to 50 cm in height. The pubescent leaves are alternate with very short or no petiole (sessile), reaching 10 cm long to 4 cm broad. They are variable in shape, from linear to obovate, and are toothed or wavy-edged.
It produces single, four-petaled, cup-shaped flowers on the upper leaf axils. These fragrant shell-pink flowers bloom throughout the summer into early autumn. The 1.5-2" flowers start out white and grow pink as they age. The flower throats, as well as the stigmas and stamens, have a soft yellow color. It blooms both day and night, but typically in the pre-dawn hours, closing when the full sun hits them. They bloom from March to July, and occasionally in the fall.
Habitat includes rocky prairies, open woodlands, slopes, roadsides, meadows and disturbed areas. While it makes an attractive garden plant, care should be taken with it as it can become invasive, spreading by runners and seeds. This flower is frequented by several species of insect, but moths are the most common as the flowers are mostly open at night.
This drought-resistant plant prefers loose, fast-draining soil and full sun.
This plant is also frequently referred to as a buttercup, though it is not a true buttercup. Other names include Mexican primrose and Amapola.
References
- Tveten, Gloria and Tveten, John. Wildflowers of Houston & Southeast Texas. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas (1993). ISBN 0-292-78151-2
- Oenothera speciosa photos
- Missouri plants: Oenothera speciosa