Oenothera biennis
North American biennial native from Canada to Central Mexico with tall growth and large yellow flowers that open at night, tolerant of poor soils and self-seeding, widely naturalized beyond its native range, with an edible root used in salads and soups and an oil rich in gamma-linolenic acids used in medicines and environmental applications
Common Names
Common Evening Primrose, Evening Primrose, Common Evening-Primrose, King's Cure-All, Fever Plant, German Rampion, Evening Star, Weedy Evening Primrose, Sun Drop, Sundrop
Summary
Common evening-primrose is a native North American biennial herb that grows 3–6 ft tall. In year one it forms a basal rosette, and in year two a tall flowering stem develops. It bears large, lemon-scented yellow flowers with four petals that open in the evening and are fragrant, produced along a leafy spike. The plant has a long taproot and a self-seeding habit. Edible parts include roots, shoots, and seeds, and the seed oil contains gamma-linolenic acid.
Culture and uses: It favors full sun and well-drained soils, tolerates poor soils and drought once established, and grows in dry open fields, roadsides, waste areas, prairies, and disturbed habitats. Typically hardy in USDA zones 4–9. It is easily grown from seed, with propagation by sowing in fall or early spring. It self-seeds and may naturalize and can be somewhat weedy. Regular watering is needed but avoid overwatering. Pests and diseases may include powdery mildew and leaf spot. It is ornamental in gardens, provides wildlife habitat with nectar for moths and bees, seeds eaten by birds, and the seed oil is rich in gamma-linolenic acid.
Lifecycle
Biennial
Height
1 ft - 6 ft 7 in
Spread
2-3 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 4-9
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained loamy or sandy soil with a pH of 6.0–7.0; moderately fertile and enriched with organic matter.
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil
Soil pH
Tolerates all pH levels
Bloom Color
Yellow
Bloom Time
Summer and Fall
Foliage Color
Green, including grey-green and light to olive-green shades, sometimes with a reddish tint and may turn red as it dies.
Fall Foliage Color
Green, often with a reddish tint
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Fast
Seasons of Interest
Summer and Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Division, Transplanting
Attracts Wildlife
Bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, and birds are attracted
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- L.
- Publication
- Sp. Pl. : 346 (1753)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Myrtales
- Family
- Onagraceae
- Genus
- Oenothera
Inferior Taxa
Oenothera biennis f. stenopetala
Synonyms
Oenothera brevispicata Oenothera gauroides Oenothera tacikii Oenothera flaemingina Oenothera ersteinensis Oenothera glabra Oenothera inconspecta Oenothera carinthiaca Oenothera cambrica Oenothera compacta Onagra chrysantha Onagra europaea Onagra media Oenothera suaveolens Oenothera stucchii Onosuris acuminata Onagra vulgaris Oenothera paralamarckiana Oenothera paradoxa Oenothera octolineata Oenothera pellegrinii Oenothera obscurifolia Oenothera mediomarchica Oenothera media Oenothera macrosperma Oenothera nissensis Oenothera sesitensis Oenothera shulliana Oenothera sackvillensis Oenothera sabulosa Oenothera stenomeres Oenothera renneri Oenothera pyramidiflora Oenothera rubricaulis Oenothera suaveolens var. latipetala Oenothera victorinii Oenothera pedemontana Oenothera salicastrum Oenothera rubiennis Oenothera biennis subsp. chicaginensis Oenothera rubricauloides Oenothera wratislaviensis Brunyera biennis Oenothera biennis f. grandiflora Oenothera biennis var. grandiflora Oenothera chicagoensis Onagra biennis Oenothera biennis var. pycnocarpa Oenothera biennis f. biennis Onagra muricata Oenothera pycnocarpa Oenothera tracyi Oenothera royfraseri Oenothera sackvillensis var. royfraseri Oenothera grandiflora var. tracyi Oenothera numismatica Oenothera pratincola var. numismatica Oenothera biennis var. muricata Oenothera biennis f. muricata Oenothera biennis subf. latifolia Oenothera biennis subsp. suaveolens Oenothera biennis subsp. caeciarum Oenothera biennis subsp. centralis Oenothera biennis var. cantabrigiana Oenothera muricata var. rubricaulis Oenothera novae-scotiae var. serratifolia Oenothera pycnocarpa var. parviflora Oenothera sackvillensis var. albiviridis Oenothera victorinii var. parviflora Oenothera victorinii var. undulata Oenothera biennis var. leptomeres Oenothera biennis var. angustifolia Oenothera muricata var. rhodoneura Onagra chrysantha var. latifolia Oenothera biennis var. sulphurea Oenothera biennis var. rubricaulis Oenothera cambrica var. impunctata Oenothera chicaginensis var. bartlettii Oenothera chicaginensis var. minutiflora Oenothera muricata var. latifolia Oenothera nissensis var. fiedleri Oenothera parviflora var. muricata Oenothera rubricaulis var. dentifolia Oenothera rubricaulis var. longistylis Oenothera furca Oenothera grandifolia Oenothera indivisa Oenothera casimiri Oenothera chicaginensis Oenothera purpurata Oenothera marinellae Onagra biennis var. grandiflora Oenothera latipetala Oenothera biennis var. biennis Oenothera muricata Oenothera gaurodes var. brevicapsula Oenothera pycnocarpa var. cleistogama Oenothera victorinii var. intermedia Oenothera jueterbogensis var. macrosperma Oenothera chicaginensis var. parviflora Oenothera communis f. canescens