Native Plant of the Week: Tooth Leaved Primrose ~ Calylophus serrulatus

Tooth Leaved Primrose (Yellow Sundrops) ~ Calylophus serrulatus


The bright yellow sepals of the Tooth Leaved Primrose are just starting to open up in our yard. This four parted flower blooms from mid June into July. A native perennial of dry soils and often exposed sites like rock bluffs and wind swept prairies.

It was a perfect candidate for the driest, sunniest place in our yard near a rock retaining wall.

As the common name suggests, the narrow leaves are serrated. Flowering upwards on the stem, the yellow blooms attract many types of bees.

This native can reach heights of 2 feet but in our gravelly soils no more than 14 inches. It is delicate in stature so would be best featured at the front of a managed landscape, it may otherwise get lost in taller prairie grasses.

I have not seen this native growing locally although we are in its range. The first photo was taken in South Dakota just west of the Minnesota border.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

See map for native range.