States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Threadleaf Sundrops

Oenothera linifolia

Found in barrens, glades, dry openings, and fields. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
Up to about 20 inches
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
May to July

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 1 Virginia county.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

17CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Oenothera

  • Amphion floridensisNessus Sphinx
  • Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
  • Atroposia oenotheranaPrimrose Cochylid
  • Desmia funeralisGrape Leaffolder Moth
  • Eudryas unioPearly Wood-Nymph
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Mompha circumscriptellaCircumscript Mompha
  • Mompha eloisellaRed-Streaked Mompha
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Show all 17
  • Schinia floridaPrimrose Flower Moth, Evening Primrose Flower Moth
  • Spargania magnoliataDouble-Banded Carpet
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Dichomeris agonia
  • Mompha brevivittella
  • Mompha stellella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
4Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Oenothera

  • Lasioglossum aberrans
  • Lasioglossum lusorium
  • Lasioglossum oenotherae
  • Melissodes fimbriatus
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
5BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Oenothera

  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Onagraceae
Flower color
Pink or yellow

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Flax Leaf Evening Primrose; Thread Leaf Evening Primrose

Conservation status

Virginia rankNot available
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources