Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Oenothera stricta subsp. stricta

Flowering stem. Photographer Don Wood, Bega-Tathra Road

Plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Scottsdale Bush Heritage Reserve near Bredbo

Flowering plant. Photographer Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, western NSW

Common name

Common evening-primrose, Evening primrose

Family

Onagraceae

Where found

Grassy areas, roadsides, disturbed sites, and near streams. Widespread, mostly Sydney area, Blue Mountains, ACT, and the Cooma district. Occasional elsewhere.

Notes

Introduced annual or biennial herb to 1m tall.  Stems hairy.  Leaves in a basal rosette and alternating up the stems, 3-20 cm long, 3-10 mm wide, margins toothed, tips pointed.  Fragrant flowers.  Flowers single, yellow fading through yellowish pink and orange to red, with 4 petals, each 15-40 mm long.  Flowers all year.

Hybridizes with Oenothera indecora subsp. bonariensis. Hybrids, which are similar in general appearance to Oenothera indecora subsp. bonariensis, are mostly readily identified by the presence of a basal rosette of long narrow leaves, similar to that of Oenothera stricta subsp. stricta.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Oenothera~stricta  (accessed 23 January, 2021)