α. 1700s–1800s sundrop.
β. 1800s– sundrops.
sundropn.
/ˈsʌndrɒp/, U.S. /ˈsənˌdrɑp/ Originally and chiefly U.S.
Any of various oenotheras having flowers which open in daylight; esp. the yellow-flowered Oenothera fruticosa. Also in plural. Frequently with distinguishing word.The better-known night-flowering oenotheras are called evening primrose, which is a name also used for the genus as a whole. Cf. oenothera n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > evening primrose and allied flowers
tree primrose1629
primrose tree1728
Onagra1735
oenothera1754
night primrose1759
evening primrose1761
night willow-herb1770
nightly primrose1785
sundrop1785
godetia1836
1785 M. Cutler in Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sci. 1 438 Oenothera foliis ovato-lanceolatis planis... Sundrop. Blossoms in a kind of spike; yellow. They open about eleven o'clock.
1796 P. A. Nemnich Allgemeines Polyglotten-Lex. Sundrop, Oenothera.
1818 A. Eaton Man. Bot. (ed. 2) 332 Oenothera fruticosa (sundrops..), smoothish: leaves lanceolate, subdentate, acute.
1836 A. H. Lincoln Familiar Lect. Bot. (ed. 5) App. 120 [Œnothera] fruticosa (shrubby œnothera, sun-drop..).
1940 Andorra Handbk. Trees & Shrubs (Andorra Nurseries) 112 Blooming in June... Œnothera missouriensis (Ozark Sundrop). Œnothera speciosa (White Sundrop).
1950 R. H. Mohlenbrock & J. W. Voigt Flora Southern Illinois 252 Common Sundrops is another plant with a wide range of habitats.
2012 J. Lowe Tennessee & Kentucky Garden Guide 174/1 I used to wonder why I rarely saw sundrops growing in the public or private flower gardens I visited.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1785