Summary ⁷

Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose, evening star, or sun drop) is a species of Oenothera native to eastern and central North America, from Newfoundland west to Alberta, southeast to Florida, and southwest to Texas, and widely naturalized elsewhere in temperate and subtropical regions.Evening primrose oil is produced from the plant.

Comments ⁸

During the first year of growth, the roots can be cooked and eaten. This is by far the most common evening primrose (Oenothera) in Illinois. Although it favors disturbed weedy areas, this species is sometimes found in prairies and other natural areas. Common Evening Primrose can be distinguished from other Oenothera spp. on the basis of its tallness (often exceeding 3' in length), the shape of its seed capsules (rounded edges, rather than sharply angular), the shape of its leaves, and the size of its flowers. There is significant variation in the hairiness of individual plants. For more information about these distinctions, see Mohlenbrock (2002). Return

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Frank Mayfield, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/33397993@N05/4248337326
2. (c) Frank Mayfield, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4248371754_f7d7f53d6a.jpg
3. (c) "<a href=""http://www.knps.org"">Kentucky Native Plant Society</a>. Scanned by <a href=""http://www.omnitekinc.com/"">Omnitek Inc</a>.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=oebi_001_avd.tif
4. (c) "<a href=""http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/WLI/"">USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute</a>.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=oebi_003_ahp.tif
5. (c) "<a href=""http://nt.ars-grin.gov/"">ARS Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory</a>. Netherlands.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=oebi_008_ahp.tif
6. (c) "<a href=""http://www.wli.nrcs.usda.gov"">NRCS National Wetland Team, Fort Worth, TX</a>.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=oebi_011_avd.tif
7. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oenothera_biennis
8. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29442315

More Info

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