Beach Evening Primrose

Beach Evening Primrose grows naturally on beach dunes, and thus requires well-drained sandy soils. It is low spreading, with a maximum height of about sixteen inches. This plant can take both full sun and partial shade, and is drought-tolerant. Flowering for several months from March to August, it opens during the day, and thrives over a wide range of weather conditions (foggy to sunny). As the blooms die, they turn an attractive orange. The leaves are grayish-green. Evening Primrose is also an excellent plant choice for encouraging butterflies.

Camissonia cheiranthifolia is the scientific name. Camissonia is from the name of the botanist Ludwig von Chamisso. An old name for wallflower, cheiranthus, was used for the similarity of the leaves.

All photographs were taken in the south-west area of More Mesa.