Also Named: Pinkladies, Pink Evening-primrose
Description: Nodding buds, opening into pink or
white flowers, are in the upper leaf axils on slender, downy stems.
Flowers: 3" (7.5 cm) wide;
petals 4, broad, sometimes white with pink lines.
Leaves: 2-3" (5-7.5 cm) long,
wavy-margined or pinnately cleft, linear to lanceolate.
Fruit: club-shaped, 8-ribbed capsule
up to 2" (5 cm) long.
Height: 8-24" (20-60 cm)
Flower: May-July.
Habitat: Prairies, plains, roadsides.
Range: Virginia south to Florida, west to Louisiana,
north to Illinois.
Discussion: A hardy and drought resistant species
that can form colonies of considerable size. The flowers
may be as small as
1" (2.5 cm) wide under drought conditions. The plant
is frequently grown in gardens and escapes from cultivation.
The
flowers of some members of the genus open in the evening
so rapidly that the movement can almost be observed.
