Oenothera deltoides subsp. cognata

Family: Onagraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Evening primrose is a California native perennial herb found in the San Joaquin Valley, La Panza Range, and western Mojave Desert in sandy grassland habitats at elevations below 700 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces delicate white to pale yellow flowers with large petals 25 to 40 millimeters long. Growing with branched stems 20 to 60 centimeters tall that spread from the base, it develops spreading hairs approximately 2 millimeters long on its upper portions. Its leaves are variable, with upper leaves nearly entire to wavy-toothed and occasionally showing rare pinnate lobing. The plant's distinctive open branching and large pale flowers make it a notable feature of sandy desert and grassland environments.

Habitat: Sandy soils, grassland

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 700 m

Bioregions: SnJV, SCoRO (La Panza Range), w DMoj.

California counties: Kern, San Joaquin, Kings, Merced, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, San Bernardino, Monterey, Stanislaus, Contra Costa, Santa Barbara, Lassen, Alameda, Sacramento, Los Angeles

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.