SafePlants

Booth's Evening Primrose (Eremothera boothii)

Booth's Evening Primrose, scientifically known as Eremothera boothii, is a wildflower native to the western United States and northwestern Mexico. It is known by several common names, including Booth's suncup, desert lantern, woody bottle-washer, and redish shredding primrose.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Eremothera boothii (Douglas ex Lehm) W.L. Wagner & Hoch
• Family: Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family)
• Synonyms:
  • Camissonia boothii (Douglas ex Lehm.) P.H. Raven
  • Oenothera boothii
  • Sphaerostigma boothii
• Subspecies:
  • Eremothera boothii ssp. intermedia
  • Eremothera boothii ssp. condensata (Munz) W.L. Wagner & Hoch
  • Eremothera boothii ssp. alyssoides (Synonyms: Camissonia boothii ssp. alyssoides, Oenothera alyssoides)
  • Eremothera boothii ssp. decorticans
  • Camissonia boothii ssp. boothii

Distribution and Habitat

This plant is native to the western and southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, including areas within California (Death Valley National Park) and Oregon (Lower Owyhee River).

Morphological Characteristics

• Eremothera boothii is an annual forb, a non-woody plant that is not a grass.
• It grows from a leafy basal rosette.
• It produces upright flower stalks.
• The flowers have four petals and are typically white.
• Leaves, especially on pre-flowering plants, can be splotched with red.

Quirky Facts

• It is also referred to as Woody Bottle-washer

Resources

• Discover Life offers a page about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Camissonia boothii.
• Garden Guides offers information on the Booth's Evening-primrose and gardening.