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

Example Sentences

Last weekend, visitors walking through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and nearby areas found tall, bright sunflowers, deep pink desert sand-verbena, basket evening primrose and even elusive desert lilies, which thrilled photographers like myself.

From Los Angeles Times

She began adding Cleveland sage, white sage, evening primrose, yellow lupine and other native plants in earnest, removing dead or poor-performing non-natives.

From Los Angeles Times

The desert sunflowers, purple sand verbena and white dune evening primrose were spectacular.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Science Daily

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