The beautiful Oenothera laciniata, known commonly as cut-leaf evening primrose, is native to the eastern United States but can be found in many other places as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed.

The basal leaves of Oenothera laciniata are deeply cut or lobed, giving rise to its common name, ‘cut-leaf.’ However, what truly sets this plant apart is its fascinating temporal behavior. The flowers of Oenothera laciniata open in the evening and close by the morning, following a strict circadian rhythm. This unique evening blooming pattern aligns perfectly with the activity patterns of its primary pollinators, nocturnal insects such as moths, highlighting the plant’s ecological significance.

This is a short-lived perennial that produces a spreading stem from a hairy rosette of deeply cut lobbed leaves. Flowers occur in the axils of leaves higher on the stem. Each flower has pale to deep yellow petals up to 2 centimeters long that fade orange, pink, or red with age. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule up to 5 centimeters in length.

Source: Wikipedia