California Evening Primrose
Oenothera californica
Onagraceae

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Oenothera - Its etymology is uncertain but is believed to be derived from
the Greek words (onos theras), meaning "donkey catcher,"
or (oinos theras), meaning "wine seeker."

In addition, oenothera means "a plant
whose juices may cause sleep" in Latin.

Onagraceae - from Onagra, which gave the family its name.

Onagra (meaning "(food of) onager")
was first used in botany in 1587,
and in English in Philip Miller's
1754 Gardeners Dictionary: Abridged.

The onager is also called gardener’s ham or grass of the donkeys.
Indeed, it is a French botanist who baptized the plant like this because
of its leaves in the shape of ears of a donkey. This plant was born on
the Northern American continent.

Its modern name Oenothera was published by
Carolus Linnaeus in his "Systema Naturae."

Hwy 178