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Oenothera biennis

L.

Common Evening-primrose

G5Secure Found in 34 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.152267
Element CodePDONA0C040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderMyrtales
FamilyOnagraceae
GenusOenothera
Other Common Names
common evening-primrose (EN) King's-cureall (EN) Onagre bisannuelle (FR)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-05-27
Change Date1984-06-11
Edition Date2024-05-27
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Oenothera biennis is a wide-ranging biennial herb in open, disturbed habitats occurring nearly worldwide in temperate and subtropical regions. Its native range includes North America from Nova Scotia west to Alberta in Canada south to Florida west to California in the United States, and Mexico, and it has been introduced in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. Threats include development, rights-of-way maintenance, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Oenothera biennis occurs nearly worldwide in temperate and subtropical regions (FNA 2021). Its native range includes North America from Nova Scotia west to Alberta in Canada south to Florida west to California in the United States, and Mexico and Europe, and it has been introduced in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are thousands of occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Oenothera biennis grows in "open, disturbed sites," including "fields, pastures, roadsides" (FNA 2021, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceousOld field
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MarylandSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
MissouriSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
LouisianaSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
ColoradoS3Yes
OhioSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
MontanaSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
OregonSNANo
VermontS5Yes
KansasS2Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
IowaS5Yes
NebraskaSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
South CarolinaS5Yes
North DakotaSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
New JerseyS5Yes
IndianaS5Yes
WyomingSNRYes
MaineSNANo
DelawareS5Yes
WashingtonSNRYes
District of ColumbiaS5Yes
MississippiSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
UtahSNRYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS5Yes
OntarioS5Yes
ManitobaS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS5Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
New BrunswickS5Yes
British ColumbiaSNANo
Island of NewfoundlandSNANo
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
AlbertaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationBIENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (34)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainTalladega National Forest4,986
Nevada (1)
AreaForestAcres
Ruby - Lamoille CynHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest32,771
New Hampshire (6)
AreaForestAcres
Dartmouth RangeWhite Mountain National Forest9,233
KilkennyWhite Mountain National Forest28,766
Mt. Wolf - Gordon PondWhite Mountain National Forest11,846
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
North Carolina (11)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
BearwallowPisgah National Forest4,113
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Graveyard Ridge (addition)Pisgah National Forest1,958
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
Sam Knob (addition)Pisgah National Forest2,576
North Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
DurlerDakota Prairie Grasslands12,464
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. Logan SouthWasatch-Cache National Forest17,014
Vermont (1)
AreaForestAcres
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Virginia (6)
AreaForestAcres
Elliott KnobGeorge Washington National Forest9,380
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
West Virginia (5)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
References (6)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2021. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 10. Magnoliophyta: Proteaceae to Elaeagnaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 456 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  6. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.