Question
QUESTION: Hi there,
I came across a night bloomer once that apparently originated in Ireland or Holland. This plant's base is about a foot wide and circular, with long leave stems and smaller leaves off them. Shoots grow up throughout and blooms a flower approximately 1-2 inches in diameter and these buds bloom between 6-7 PM nightly, take about a minute to open as you watch.   These blooms die in the night and new shoots that have grown are ready for the next evening. This plant is a perennial and spreads.  You can also dig up part of it and re plant it and it will grow and spread to a bigger base.  Do you have any idea what this is called?  They call it a moon flower in Ireland or Holland but is not the same as our known moonflowers.  Thank you for you time.

ANSWER: Hi Christy,
Thanx for your question.  You said the plant's base is about a foot wide a circular.  Is the plant a tree or shrub or a low-growing plant?  What do the leaves look like and how big are they.  What color is the flower.  What shape is the flower.  Is the flower long or short.  What caused you to believe the plant is from Ireland or Holland?  And how do you know it is perennial?  If you could answer these questions for me I would appreciate it.
thx,
Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again!  Thank you so kindly for your reply!
It is about a foot wide but will grow larger as the summer moves on, to about two feet in diameter and spreads making babies and new bunches, it is a low growing plant, the leaves look very similar to the dandelion leaf, long with thin leaves off the main stem making the plant thick throughout and spread to that 1- 2 foot diameter.  The leaves and stems grow to about 6-8 inches and the stems of the bloom grow just a hair on top the leaves. the flower is white or yellow and it is about 1 inch in diameter.  The bloom has approx four to six pedals....and opens within a minute while you watch in the evening hours.  I know it originated in one of those two places and a girl I met in Ontario got hers from her aunt who lives there. It is a perennial due to it coming up year after year and she has had it for the last ten years at least.  I called it a perennial due to it coming up each year.

I hope this helps you!  I asked her about it but she knows nothing of it except that her aunt brought it to her on a visit and I have scoured the Internet to find one but to no avail.

It kind of looks like the evening primrose on this web addy:
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/image

However the blooms are not so wide in diameter and the stems of the plant are much longer. but it gives a great likeness to the leaves and look of the entire plant.

Thank you again for your time.

Christy

Answer
Madam,
You really want to make me work for my position here on Allexperts don't you?  Just kidding.  It was actually kind of fun sleuthing but I think I have an answer for you.

I think the plant you describe is Oenothera triloba and it grows here in the U.S. too.  Take a look at the link and let me know if this is it.
Tom

http://www.ovrghs.ca/articles/Plants/Oenothera%20triloba.htm