Flower profile
Birdcage evening primrose
Oenothera deltoides
Birdcage evening primrose (Oenothera deltoides) is a flowering plant in the Onagraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly January–March across the U.S.
Birdcage evening primrose is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Nevada it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Nevada
Quick look
Oenothera deltoides is a species of evening primrose known by several common names, including birdcage evening primrose, basket evening primrose, lion in a cage, and devil's lantern. It is native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in sandy habitats from desert to beach.
- It belongs to the Onagraceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 6 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Nevada. NatureServe
- In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 432 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #96 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Nevada, most flowering sightings come in March–May.
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
- Nevada
- Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. NAC 527.010
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: UT (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 birdcage evening primrose in 6 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Utah.
Nevada counties with USDA records: Carson City, Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Storey, Washoe.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 51 counties across 5 states; the most are in California (20), Nevada (15), Oregon (9).
Other Oenothera on Bloomipedia (11): Pinkladies, Common evening-primrose, Cutleaf evening primrose, Fragrant evening primrose, Scarlet beeblossom, Bigfruit 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 Nevada flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile OEDE2.
- iNaturalist, Oenothera deltoides: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Oenothera deltoides (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
- Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Oenothera deltoides (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Ryan Elliott via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.