File:Tufted Evening Primrose on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (27355819960).jpg

Tufted evening-primrose (Oenothera caespitosa) is in the evening-primrose family (Onagraceae). Other common names for this species include gumbo lily, white-stemmed evening primrose, fragrant evening primrose, and gumbo evening primrose. As the name implies, this species blooms in the evening, the flowers stay open all night, and then wilt the next day. The flowers are usually white and attract large night-flying insects like hawk moths (family Sphingidae). In the evening-primrose family, the flowers often have a long floral tube that holds the petals well above the base of the flower. Nectar collects in the base of the tube so only long-tongued visitors can get a nectar reward. Hawk moths, with their long coiled tongues, are perfectly adapted to reach the nectar in evening-primrose flowers.

Tufted evening-primrose is also called gumbo lilly in some locations. It is a low-growing stemless perennial with gray-green fuzzy leaves and 3-4 inch fragrant white flowers that open in the evening and close in the mid-day heat. It grows throughout the West in sunny, dry, infertile, rocky, well-drained soils. It is commonly found blooming in the early summer on Seedskadee NWR and the surrounding landscape.

This plant is showy, grows in poor soils, and requires little water, which makes it a perfect candidate for western xeriscape gardens.

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