Flower profile
Cutleaf evening primrose
Oenothera laciniata
Cutleaf evening primrose is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Mississippi it's most often seen in bloom in March–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Mississippi
Quick look
Oenothera laciniata is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name cutleaf evening primrose. It is native to the eastern United States but it can be found in many other places as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. It has been reported in Hawaii, Australia, Britain, France, Korea, Japan, and other areas.
- 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 39 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Mississippi. NatureServe
- In Mississippi, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 278 research-grade sightings of it in Mississippi, ranking #99 among the 110 flowers on our Mississippi list. iNaturalist
Cutleaf evening primrose gift ideas
Handmade cutleaf 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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Cutleaf evening primrose art print
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Cutleaf evening primrose greeting card
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Cutleaf evening primrose mug
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Cutleaf evening primrose earrings
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Cutleaf evening primrose embroidery pattern
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Cutleaf evening primrose sticker
When does it bloom?
In Mississippi, most flowering sightings come in March–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
- 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
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NY (S1), WY (S1). (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 cutleaf evening primrose in 39 states plus Washington, D.C.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.
Mississippi counties with USDA records: Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Bolivar, Carroll, Clarke, Coahoma, Copiah, DeSoto, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lafayette, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lee, Leflore, Lowndes, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Neshoba, Newton, Panola, Pearl River, Quitman, Rankin, Sharkey, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union, Washington, Wayne, Yazoo.
More Mississippi flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile OELA.
- iNaturalist, Oenothera laciniata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Oenothera laciniata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Oenothera laciniata (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Eric Schmidt via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.