Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Common name: Fendler's sundrops, Hartweg's sundrops

Family: Onagraceae (Evening Primrose)

Distribution: Southwestern United States, Northern Mexico

Habitat: Plains, open forests

Hardiness: USDA Zone 6 (-10 to 0 °F)

Life form: Herbaceous perennial

Occurrence in New Mexico: New Mexico native plant

Growing Conditions: The native range of Fendler’s sundrops extends from Kansas, south through western Oklahoma, the panhandle and Trans-Pecos region of Texas, central and western New Mexico, east-central Arizona, and eastern Chihuahua, Mexico. They occur in scattered locations on high plains among scattered junipers, and in piñon-juniper and occasionally ponderosa forests at elevations from about 1,000-7,000 feet. They grow on clay or gravelly, sometimes calcareous soils. They are palatable to cattle, but are relatively intolerant of grazing and are absent from heavily grazed lands. They are common on ungrazed lands in the Carlsbad Caverns area and roadsides in the Gila Wilderness. Fendler’s sundrops are commercially available for planting in the garden; overwatering and poorly drained soils should be avoided.