Tufted Evening Primrose
Oenothera caespitosa
Photographed in Rackensack Canyon, Maricopa Co., Arizona. 04 April 2009.
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FLOWERS: Blooming in April. Four large, broad white petals each conspicuously bilobed.
The fragrant flowers open at dusk and are bright white through night but then fade pink
by early morning and close up completely well before noon. Eight stamens.
RANGE: Mostly in the higher elevations of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona
along canyon bottoms and near riparian zones with additional water. Found in
suitable habitat throughout much of western North America.
PERENNIAL: Low growing, generally without any upright stem. Numerous
stems and flowers from ground level. Clumps may be as much as
50 cm across.
FRUIT: Dry, cylindrical capsules develop below the flower and are about
5 cm long.
LEAVES: Leaves are elongate and are coarsely toothed.
UNARMED. No thorns/spines.