Biennial Gaura is a native biennial or short-lived perennial wildflower found in wooded areas, streambanks, disturbed areas, open fields, and roadsides. In NC it is found primarily in the mountains and lesser so in the Piedmont. This plant is adaptable to various well-drained dry to moist soils and prefers full sun. It is best used in naturalized areas and pollinator/native gardens. It can be slightly weedy. Flower stems sway beautifully in the breeze and bloom June through October. They are a great pollinator magnet.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf arrangement
Opposite; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Entire
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
First-year leaves are a dense flat rosette. Second-year they are opposite on the stem and stalkless, lance-elliptical shape, tip acute, base narrow, 3-7 inches long by .5- 1 inch wide. Undersides with short hairs, margins are entire or slightly dentate.
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower form
Panicle
Flower detail
Flowers bloom June-October and are white fading to pinkish in color. Flowers are 1/2 inch wide with 4 petals arranged fan-like. The long stamens are arranged horizontally to the petals. They appear in open panicles on spikes up to 6 feet tall.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Fruit is diamond-shaped and 4-sided with a large rib along each angle, cone-shaped at the tip, ¼ to 1/3 inch long, with fine surface hairs. July-November.
Stem color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Green stems may be red-tinged with spreading white hairs. They can be angular or round.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Ontario, central and eastern U.S.A.
Distribution
AL , CT , DC , DE , GA , IA , IL , IN , KY , MA , MD , MI , MN , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OH , PA , SC , TN , VA , WI , WV Canada: ON , QC