Yellow Sundrops

Calylophus serrulatus Common names include Yellow Sundrops, Yellow Evening Primrose, Shrubby Evening Primrose, Toothed Evening Primrose, Serrate-leaved Primrose, Plains Yellow Primrose and Plains Evening Primrose. Calylophus serrulatus is a native plant found in dry prairies and mesas in western North America, particularly in the Great Plains from Canada to Texas. It is a low, shrubby, woody-based perennial, typically growing from 6 to 18 inches tall. Narrow, lance-shaped, toothed leaves crowd the branched stems. Four-petaled, stalkless, yellow flowers around 1" wide bloom from mid-spring to mid-summer. The flowers give way to 1" long seed capsules. The flowers of this species do not just open in the evening, but are open for the entire day. Leaves of this interesting prairie plant line up with their edges facing the intense mid-day sun as an adaptive way of minimizing water loss.   Best grown in dry, gravelly or sandy, well-drained soils in full sun. This is a tap rooted plant that to