Hairy Evening Primrose
Oenothera villosa
Native status unresolved in Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 41%
- Height
- 2–6 feet
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Biennial
Not yet recorded · Spread · Light · Leaves · Bloom
This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.
Recorded in 10 Arkansas counties.
Who uses this plant?
22CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR
Genus host records with ranges including AR · Oenothera
- Amphion floridensisNessus Sphinx
- Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
- Atroposia oenotheranaPrimrose Cochylid
- Desmia funeralisGrape Leaffolder Moth
- Eudryas unioPearly Wood-Nymph
- Eumorpha fasciatusBanded Sphinx
- Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
- Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
- Mompha albocapitellaWhite-Based Mompha
- Mompha circumscriptellaCircumscript Mompha
Show all 22
- Mompha eloisellaRed-Streaked Mompha
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Proserpinus gauraeProud Sphinx
- Proserpinus juanitaJuanita Sphinx
- Schinia floridaPrimrose Flower Moth, Evening Primrose Flower Moth
- Schinia gauraeClouded Crimson
- Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
- Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
- Dichomeris agonia
- Mompha brevivittella
- Mompha rufocristatella
- Mompha stellella
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
4Specialist beesPollen specialists
Pollen specialists · Oenothera
- Lasioglossum aberrans
- Lasioglossum lusorium
- Lasioglossum oenotherae
- Melissodes fimbriatus
3BirdsRecorded eating Oenothera in Arkansas
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Arkansas, most records first.
- Wild Turkey4 diet records
- Common Ground-dove2 diet records
- Mourning Dove2 diet records
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
Birds that eat Oenothera 3
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Common Ground-doveColumbina passerina
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
Plant details
- Family
- Onagraceae
- Flower color
- Yellow
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “2–6 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Life cycle · “Biennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- primary_flower_color · “yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | Not available |
| AR status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Arkansas occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications