Flower profile
Bigfruit evening primrose
Oenothera macrocarpa
Bigfruit evening primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa) is a flowering plant in the Onagraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.
Bigfruit evening primrose is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Kansas
Quick look
Oenothera macrocarpa, the bigfruit evening primrose, Ozark sundrops, Missouri evening primrose, or Missouri primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family Onagraceae, native to northeast Mexico and the south-central United States, where it is found in calcareous prairies and limestone outcrops.
- It belongs to the Onagraceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 9 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Kansas. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 440 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #56 among the 151 flowers on our Kansas list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Kansas
- No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Kansas.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IL (S1), TN (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records bigfruit evening primrose in 9 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming.
Kansas counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Barber, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Douglas, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Gove, Graham, Greenwood, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Kiowa, Labette, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Meade, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Ness, Osage, Osborne, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Reno, Republic, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Scott, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Smith, Sumner, Trego, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 207 counties across 8 states; the most are in Kansas (67), Texas (52), Missouri (43).
Other Oenothera on Bloomipedia (11): Pinkladies, Common evening-primrose, Cutleaf evening primrose, Fragrant evening primrose, Scarlet beeblossom, Birdcage evening primrose, Pale evening primrose, False gaura, Yellow sundrops, Fourpoint evening primrose.
More from the Onagraceae family (19 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Fireweed, California fuchsia, Broadleaf enchanter's nightshade, Elegant clarkia, Sun cup, Dwarf fireweed, Peruvian primrose-willow, Golden suncup.
More Kansas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile OEMA.
- iNaturalist, Oenothera macrocarpa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Oenothera macrocarpa (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Kansas: Kansas noxious weeds (K.A.R. 4-8-44, as amended 2026).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Oenothera macrocarpa (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Cecelia Alexander via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.