Tufted leaves emerge from the base. Like other evening primroses, this fragrant flower opens in late afternoon, blooms through the night and closes by the next morning, withering to pink. Pollinated by hawk moths. It is evergreen in many habitats.
Woody base, no stems or very short ones; leaves basal; blades long, narrow, lance-shaped, margins strongly wavy to lobed, 1 to 4 inches long. Sepals 1 to 1-1/2 inches long. Large white petals, aging to pink to reddish-purple. Seeds not sharply angled.
Habitat
Desert scrub, grasslands, interior chaparral and oak/pinon/juniper woodlands, ponderosa pine; on rocky slopes; especially open sites.
Flower Characteristics
Large 4 inch flowers have 4 white, heart-shaped petals that turn pinkish-white with age; the 4 sepals are pink, thin, pointed and curve downward. Sepals, petals and stamens form a cup-shaped tube.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Lance-shaped to narrowly elliptical basal leaves, 1 to 4 inches long, have irregular wavy margin or are lobed.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Cylindrical brown capsule, turning woody, 1 to 1-1/2 inches long, is hairy, knobby and angled. Capsules mostly erect and forming clumps at the base of the plant, cylindric to ovoid.
Seeds dark brown, about 1/8 inch long.