Scarlet Beeblossom
Oenothera suffrutescens
The flowers typically open in the evening as white or pale pink and turn a deep scarlet red after they are pollinated or as they age the following day.
- Scientific name
- Oenothera suffrutescens
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Myrtales › Onagraceae › Oenothera
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry prairies, plains, rocky slopes, and disturbed roadsides.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (Sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide).
- Range
- Great Plains of North America, Chihuahuan Desert, Canadian Prairies, Central Mexico
- Size
- 20-60 cm in height with a spread of 30 cm.
- Lifespan
- 3-5 years
- Active
- crepuscular
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, conversion of grasslands to intensive agriculture, and widespread herbicide use.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. This plant is safe to touch and observe. It provides vital nectar for native pollinators; avoid trampling the base or picking wild blossoms to ensure successful seed dispersal.
Oenothera suffrutescens (syn. Gaura coccinea ) is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known as scarlet beeblossom and scarlet gaura .
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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