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Hooker's Evening Primrose
Scientific Name:
Oenthera elata ssp. Hookeri
Type:
Herbaceous Plant
Habitat:
Sandy stream banks, low, marshy lands, and disturbed areas
Range:
Western United States
Status:
No listed status
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Hooker’s evening primrose can be found blooming June through September in the Truckee Meadows with yellow, 4 heart-shaped petaled flowers on tall, erect green stems (3 to 6 feet tall). The flowers are either yellow or orange and the leaves are dark green and skinny and appear all the way up the stems. The leaves and stems are usually covered in small hairs.
Fast Facts:
Similar to the other evening primrose species, Hooker’s evening primrose partially closes its flowers during the day and opens up in the evening, which is where the family gets its name.
All parts of the Hooker’s evening primrose have proved to be useful. Its roots are edible and tea and muscle rubs can be made from the plant material, particularly the leaves.
Because of its high fire and drought tolerance and ease to grow and spread, Hooker’s evening primrose may be used for restoration in areas highly susceptible to wildfires.
Hooker’s evening primrose is great for wildlife and pollinators as it attracts moths and butterflies, specifically large sphinx moths, and hummingbirds.
Here in the Truckee Meadows, Hooker’s evening primrose has been spotted at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park and Idlewild Park.
Sources:
USDA Plant Database, Oenothera elata Kunth, 2021, https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=OEEL
Lady bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Oenothera elata ssp. Hookeri, 2010, https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=OEELH2
USDA Plant Guide, Common Evening Primrose, 2021, https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_oebi.pdf
Calscape, Hooker’s Evening Primrose, 2021, https://calscape.org/Evening-primrose-(Oenothera-elata)
Image: Cliff Hutson, https://www.flickr.com/photos/themarmot/20582576671, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/, cropped from original.
Image: Mike Baird, https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/4810767395, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Skylar Jones (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)