Bloomipedia
Pinkladies (Oenothera speciosa)
Photo: Rebecca Gimenez Husted via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Pinkladies

Oenothera speciosa

Pinkladies (Oenothera speciosa) is a low shrub in the Onagraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–May across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Pinkladies is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 7 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

28states where USDA records it
7Bloomipedia state lists include it
54,541U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas

Quick look

Oenothera speciosa is a species in the evening primrose family known by several common names, including pinkladies, pink evening primrose, showy evening primrose, Mexican primrose, and buttercups.

  • It belongs to the Onagraceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 28 states. USDA PLANTS
  • In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
  • In Louisiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 40,021 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #1 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,548 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #12 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,089 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #18 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (4,004 records)
Bloom time in the 7 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
TexasNativeMarch–May40,021
LouisianaNativeMarch–May1,548
OklahomaNativeApril–May1,089
AlabamaNativeApril–May946
ArkansasNativeApril–May677
KansasNativefew records (43)623
MississippiNativeApril–May348

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
Texas
Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
Louisiana
No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Oklahoma
No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Alabama
No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Arkansas
No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
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: S4, apparently secure in Kansas.
Mississippi
No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere
No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Cook as greens or in salads, best flavor when collected before flowering” NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 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 pinkladies in 28 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Aransas, Archer, Atascosa, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Chambers, Childress, Clay, Collin, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Coryell, Crockett, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Dimmit, Duval, Eastland, Erath, Fayette, Floyd, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Harris, Hartley, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Howard, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Jim Wells, Jones, Karnes, Kaufman, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kleberg, La Salle, Lamb, Lampasas, Leon, Live Oak, Lubbock, Madison, Marion, McLennan, Mills, Montgomery, Navarro, Nueces, Orange, Pecos, Polk, Presidio, Rains, Real, Red River, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Patricio, Shackelford, Starr, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Waller, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson, Zapata, Zavala.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Alfalfa, Atoka, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Delaware, Garfield, Grady, Grant, Hughes, Johnston, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Latimer, Le Flore, Lincoln, Major, Marshall, Mayes, McCurtain, Murray, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Osage, Ottawa, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Rogers, Sequoyah, Stephens, Tillman, Tulsa, Washington, Washita.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Hartmannia speciosa, Oenothera delessertiana.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 650 counties across 26 states; the most are in Texas (109), Louisiana (64), Kansas (58).

Other Oenothera on Bloomipedia (11): Common evening-primrose, Cutleaf evening primrose, Fragrant evening primrose, Scarlet beeblossom, Birdcage evening primrose, 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.

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Sources