General:
Perennial herb from a rhizome; stems very leafy, 10-50 cm tall, simple to branched at base; glabrous to greyish-stiff-hairy, whitish bark peeling.

Leaves:
Linear to linear lanceolate, 2-6 cm long, mostly less than 5 (10) mm wide, entire to sharp-toothed, sometimes with 1 or more conspicuous toothlike lobes near base; gradually narrowed to stalks, 5-15 mm long.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of several to many, long-stalked, fragrant flowers in very leafy spikes, the buds nodding, opening in the evening; hypanthium 1.5-3.5 cm long, usually pink to purplish, glabrous to stiff-hairy, not glandular; petals egg-shaped, 1.5-3 cm long, tips rounded to notched, white, aging pinkish; sepals 1-2 cm long, mostly joined and turned to one side in flower; stamens about equalling petals in length, the anthers 6-10 mm long; styles about equalling the petals in length; stigma lobes 4, linear, 4-6 mm long.

Fruits:
Capsules, linear, 2-3 mm thick at the base, tapered to tip, usually arched upward, 1.5-3.5 cm long.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Oenothera pallida var. idahoensis Munz
Oenothera pallida var. typica Munz