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California Primrose
( Oenothera californica )
Oenothera californica
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
Click on blue squares to see occurrence records.
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6 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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About California Primrose (Oenothera californica)
6 Nurseries Carry This Plant
Add to My Plant List
Oenothera californica
is a species of flowering plant in the Onagraceae (Evening Primrose) family known by the common name California Primrose. It is native to parts of the southwestern United States and Baja California, where it can be found in chaparral, higher elevation deserts and woodlands. It is a perennial herb producing a spreading or upright stem up to 80 centimeters long. Young plants have a basal rosette of leaves, while older ones have leaves along the stem, lance-shaped to nearly oval in shape and up to 6 centimeters long. Flowers occur in the upper leaf axils, drooping in bud and becoming erect as they bloom. The four petals are white, fading pink, and may exceed 3 centimeters long. There are three subspecies of this plant, one of which, the rare Eureka Dunes evening primrose (ssp. eurekensis), is a federally listed endangered species. It is sometimes listed as its synonym, Oenothera avita ssp. eurekensis. This subspecies is known from only a few occurrences in the Eureka Valley Sand Dunes in Inyo County, where it grows alongside another dune endemic, the endangered Eureka Valley dune grass (
Swallenia alexandrae
). The other two subspecies are common.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Perennial herb
Size
0.33 - 2.6 ft tall
10 ft wide
Form
Spreading
Dormancy
Summer Semi-Deciduous
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant
Flower Color
White, Pink
Flowering Season
Spring
Wildlife Supported
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 13
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
*
White-lined Sphinx
Hyles lineata
Hyles lineata
*
Dusky Raisin Moth
Ephestiodes gilvescentella
Ephestiodes gilvescentella
*
Pacific Green Sphinx Moth
Proserpinus lucidus
Proserpinus lucidus
*
Phaeton Primrose Sphinx Moth
Euproserpinus phaeton
Euproserpinus phaeton
*
Common Eupithacia
Eupithecia miserulata
Eupithecia miserulata
*
Ridings' Forester Moth
Alypia ridingsii
Alypia ridingsii
*
Clark's Day Sphinx Moth
Proserpinus clarkiae
Proserpinus clarkiae
Landscaping Information
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade
Moisture
Low
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established
Nurseries
Carried by 6
Ease of Care
Very Easy
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15° F
Soil Drainage
Fast
Soil Description
Prefers sandy, gravelly soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0
Companion Plants
Use with
Agave deserti
or utahensis,
Bigberry Manzanita
(
Arctostaphylos glauca
),
Big Sagebrush
(
Artemisia tridentata
),
Desert Marigold
(
Baileya multiradiata
or pleniradiata),
Desert Ceanothus
(
Ceanothus greggii
), Goldenbush (
Ericameria sp.
),
Buckwheat
(
Eriogonum sp.
),
Apache Plume
(
Fallugia paradoxa
), Yucca (
Hesperoyucca whipplei
or
Yucca schidigera
or Y. baccata),
Joshua Tree
(
Yucca brevifolia
),
Beargrass
(
Nolina parryi
), Beardtongue (
Penstemon sp.
), Sage (
Salvia dorrii
or mohavensis),
Apricot Mallow
(
Sphaeralcea ambigua
),
Natural Setting
Site Type
Sandy or gravelly places, dunes, desert washes to 7,500 ft.
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 2.8" - 37.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.18" - 3.13", Coldest Month: 26.9" - 59.3", Hottest Month: 52.4" - 88.8", Humidity: 0.82" - 39.44", Elevation: -8" - 9064"
Alternative Names
Common Names
: California Evening Primrose
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California Primrose
Oenothera californica
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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