Flower profile
Bigfruit evening primrose
Oenothera macrocarpa
Bigfruit evening primrose is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Kansas it's most often seen in bloom in May–June.
*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
- In Kansas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 440 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #56 among the 109 flowers on our Kansas list. iNaturalist
Bigfruit evening primrose gift ideas
Handmade bigfruit evening primrose gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Bigfruit evening primrose art print
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Bigfruit evening primrose greeting card
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Bigfruit evening primrose mug
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Bigfruit evening primrose earrings
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Bigfruit evening primrose embroidery pattern
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Bigfruit evening primrose sticker
When does it bloom?
In Kansas, most flowering sightings come in May–June.
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.
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.