evening primrose

American  

noun

1. a plant, Oenothera biennis, having yellow flowers that open at nightfall.

2. any of various plants of the same or related genera.

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evening primrose British  

noun

1. any onagraceous plant of the genus Oenothera , native to North America but widely cultivated and naturalized, typically having yellow flowers that open in the evening

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Etymology

Origin of evening primrose

First recorded in 1800–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

evening primrose

In Borrego Springs, you’ll find a mini explosion of sunflowers, desert sand-verbena, basket evening primrose and even elusive desert lilies.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026

At field sites in eastern Washington, the researchers collected scent samples from pale evening primrose flowers.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 8, 2024

Compounds called nitrate radicals, which can be abundant in nighttime urban air, severely degrade the scent emitted by the pale evening primrose, reducing visits from pollinating hawk moths, researchers reported in Science on Thursday.

From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2024

Mexican evening primrose is a beautiful pink-flowering ground cover that is still sold in garden centers and nurseries, but it is also extremely invasive.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2023

Stocks, sweet sultan, and tall wands of evening primrose graded this border up to another shrubbery.

From The Garden, You, and I by Mabel Osgood Wright

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