Plant Image
Flower


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Oenothera primiveris - desert evening primrose

Other Common Names: large yellow desert primrose, yellow-flower desert evening-primrose
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Onagraceae


   
 
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Leaves and flowers
Sue Carnahan @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial)
Plant
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Annual
General Desc: Leaves form as a basal rosette; flower stalks also emerge at ground level. Leaves and flower stalks have a dense covering of short hairs. Some of the hairs have reddish bases; sepals may have glands.
Identification notes: Annual, often develops stout leafy stems; leaves narrow and long, mostly pinnatifid into toothed or rounded lobes; flowers have 4 yellow notched petals that age red, mostly open late afternoon, stigmas have 4 narrow lobes; fruits round in cross-section.
Height: 4 to 8 inches


Habitat

Habitat Description: Flat desert habitats, including creosote bush scrub, Joshua tree woodland, and Pinyon-juniper woodland.
Plant Communities: Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland
Elevation: Below 4500 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: Yellow, ages red     Shape: Regular not in clusters     Tubular: N     Flowering Period: Mar - May
Description: Each flower has heart-shaped petals up to 2 inches in length which fade to red with age; opens at dusk and closes the following morning.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green, grayish-green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Pinnatifid     Leaf Margin: Toothed     Leaf Attachment: Basal     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Leaves and stems     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Nearly stemless above ground; blades vary between large and small; 2 inches to 11 inches long; larger blades are 1 to 2-3/4 inches wide; lance-like leaves divided into toothed or rounded lobes, typically narrow.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Brown   
Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: Ovary and capsule densely hairy with spreading white hairs; capsules 1 to 1-3/4 inches long; 1/4 inch wide at base; thick and woody; upright and straight; 4-angled; tapering to narrow tip.
Seed Notes: Brown, 1/8 inch.



  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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