Oenothera versicolor, commonly known as the red evening-primrose, red sundrops, or orange evening-primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Onagraceae.
Distribution and Habitat
The species is native to South America, ranging from Peru and Ecuador south to Bolivia and northern Argentina.
Description
Oenothera versicolor is a bushy perennial herb growing up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall. It forms a basal rosette of narrowly lanceolate leaves that gradually narrow to the petiole. Mature leaves reach 20–25 cm in length and 1.5–3.5 cm in width. The cauline (stem-growing) leaves are narrowly lanceolate, 8–12 cm long and 0.6–2 cm wide, and are usually sessile. The leaf margins are reddish, particularly in the bracts of young buds. The inflorescence is mostly unbranched, with most plants producing a single main spike.
The flowers bloom throughout summer and into early autumn, appearing in clusters around the top of the spike. Each flower is 6–8 cm in diameter with four broadly obovate petals (1.2–2 cm long) that are yellow, red near the base and along the veins, or entirely red. Unlike many other Oenothera species, the flowers open during the day rather than at night. The flowers are hermaphroditic. The anthers are 5–8 mm long with filaments 6–10 mm long. The style is mostly short, allowing anthers to shed pollen directly onto the stigma. The ovary is 8–10 mm in length.
The seeds form in capsules that are generally 1.5–3 cm long and 5–9 mm thick, dark in color when ripe. The seeds themselves are slightly oval and little more than 1 mm in length.
Cultivation
While not as common in cultivation as other members of the genus, Oenothera versicolor is grown in gardens across temperate regions. It is hardy down to at least −10 °C (14 °F). The popular cultivar 'Sunset Boulevard' is widely grown, producing flowers that begin as apricot or peachy yellow and deepen to orange-red or crimson as they age. The plant prefers full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. It is drought-tolerant once established.
Taxonomy
The species was described by the German botanist Johann Georg Christian Lehmann. Synonyms include Oenothera campylocalyx, Oenothera campylocarpa, Oenothera cinnabarina, Oenothera coccinea, Oenothera curvifolia, Oenothera fusca, and Onagra fusca.
