Also called “sun-drops,” these plants are particularly welcome because
they bloom early in the springtime. Many species of evening-primrose are
large flowered, abundant along roadsides and sandy flats, and notably
fragrant. White-flowered species are more common, but there are several
with yellow flowers. Blossoms open at night and begin to wilt, turning
pink during the following day. These are among the handsomest of desert
plants and during favorable years make a spectacular spring display,
sometimes growing with goldpoppies and sandverbenas to produce a riot of
color.
_Oenothera trichocalyx_ Evening-primrose Family
[Illustration: EVENING-PRIMROSE]