Hooker's Evening Primrose, Oenothera elata ssp. hookeri

About Hooker's Evening Primrose (Oenothera elata ssp. hookeri) 18 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Hooker's Evening Primrose (Oenothera elata ssp. hookeri) is a native perennial herb in the Onagraceae (Evening Primrose) family that grows primarily along the coast between San Francisco and San Diego and northern Baja. It is fast growing and moderately long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 5 feet, with active growth during the summer. Flowers are yellow and striking, and bloom in the late summer. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. Its form may be either upright or sprawling. It tends to grow in moist places, at elevations from sea level to 7,000 feet where it is a pioneer species. However, it is also somewhat drought-tolerant in garden situations. In the wild it is usually crowded out over time by more woody trees or shrubs. It spreads by prolific seed production, which also makes it attractive to many seed-eating birds.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

5 ft tall
5 ft wide

Form

Upright, Spreading

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Fragrance

None

Flower Color

Yellow

Flowering Season

Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported

Native bees, lined sphinx moth, birds, butterflies
Butterfly host plants

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 15 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Dusky Raisin Moth Ephestiodes gilvescentellaEphestiodes gilvescentella

Pacific Green Sphinx Moth Proserpinus lucidusProserpinus lucidus

Phaeton Primrose Sphinx Moth Euproserpinus phaetonEuproserpinus phaeton

Common Eupithacia Eupithecia miserulataEupithecia miserulata

Ridings' Forester Moth Alypia ridingsiiAlypia ridingsii

Clark's Day Sphinx Moth Proserpinus clarkiaeProserpinus clarkiae

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture

Low, Moderate - High,

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 18

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 35° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Adaptable to a variety of soil types, but does best in moist areas.. Soil PH: 4 - 7

Companion Plants

Hooker's primRose can reseed vigorously, so be aware when planting it nearby other flowering plants. Taller plants, however, can out-compete. Consider using White Brodeiaea (Triteleia hyacinthina) or the Pitkin Marsh Lily (Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense).

Maintenance

Host to the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa.

Propagation?

Propagate plans from untreated seeds and sow seeds in the fall. Since this species is a biennial, so be sure to plant the seeds two successive years to establish a continuously flowering population. This primrose will vigorously reseed until proper conditions.

Sunset Zones?

5, 6, 7, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Moist places, disturbed areas, coastal areas.

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 10.4" - 51.7", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 2.70", Coldest Month: 28.0" - 54.9", Hottest Month: 56.1" - 83.0", Humidity: 0.48" - 33.70", Elevation: -3" - 7385"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Oenothera hookeri
Common Names: Common Evening Primrose, Hooker's Eveningprimrose, Showy Evening Primrose

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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

Hooker's Evening Primrose

Oenothera elata ssp. hookeri

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Hooker's Evening PrimroseOenothera elata ssp. hookeri

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Hooker's Evening Primrose

Oenothera elata ssp. hookeri