This native biennial plant produces a rosette of leaves the first year and a stout flowering stalk up to 5 feet tall the second. The leaves are lance-shaped and alternate on the stem (A). The showy yellow flowers are up to 2 inches across, emerging from leaf axils near the top of the stem (A,B). Individual flowers have 4 broad, slightly notched petals with 8 yellow stamens and a 4-parted cross-shaped stigma in the center (C,E). Only a few flowers open each afternoon; they only stay open until the next morning. Flowers are pollinated by moths at night and by bees in the early morning. The green tubular seed capsules up to 1 1/2 inches long are appressed to the stalk (D). At maturity they turn brown, often persisting through the winter.