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Oenothera biennis
| Common name: |
Evening Primrose |
Family: |
Onagraceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200, 234 |
| Synonyms: |
Onagra biennis |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - Labrador, south to Florida and Texas. Naturalized in Britain. |
| Habitat: |
Dunes, roadsides, railway banks and waste places in Britain[17], often in sandy soils[4]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 5 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| O. acutifolia[G]
O. biennis ssp. caeciarum[B,P]
O. biennis ssp. centralis[B,P]
O. biennis var. pycnocarpa[B,P]
O. biennis var. sulfurea[G]
O. chicagoensis[G]
O. muricata[B,G,P]
O. purpurata[G]
O. pycnocarpa[B,P]
O. rubricaulis[G]
O. suaveolens[G]
Oenethera biennis[Sngs]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Common Evening Primrose [L], Common Eveningprimrose [P], Esekotu [E], Evening Primrose [H], Evening Primrose, Common Or Great [S], Evening-Primrose [MS], Great Evening Primrose [S], King's-cureall [B], Middelste Teunisbloem [D], Primrose,Evening [E], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Myrtales. Evening Primrose family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Turkey; Us
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA
PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive. |
Physical Characteristics
Biennial growing to 1.2m. It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies) and bees.
The plant is self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
5/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Meadow, Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Flowers; Leaves; Oil; Root; Seedpod.
Root - cooked. Boiled and eaten like salsify[4, 12, 27, 33, 66].
Fleshy, sweet and succulent[74]. Wholesome and nutritious[2]. A peppery
taste[159]. The taste somewhat resembles salsify or parsnips[183].
Young shoots - raw or cooked[2, 12, 52, 85, 183]. Mucilaginous, with a
peppery flavour, they are best used sparingly[159]. Another source suggests
that the shoots should not be eaten[9].
Flowers - sweet. Used in salads or as a garnish[183].
Young seedpods - cooked. Steamed[183].
The seed contains 28% of a drying oil[114]. It is edible and a very good
source of gamma-linolenic acid[141], an essential fatty acid that is not
found in many plant sources and has numerous vital functions in the body. The
seed, however, is very small and difficult to harvest, it has to be done by
hand[160]. Overall yields are low, making the oil very expensive to produce.
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Anticholesterolemic; Astringent; Hypotensive; Miscellany; Sedative.
The bark and the leaves are astringent and sedative[4, 21]. They have
proved of use in the treatment of gastro-intestinal disorders of a functional
origin, whooping cough and asthma[4]. A syrup made from the flowers is also
an effective treatment for whooping cough[7]. The bark is stripped from the
flowering stem and dried for later use, the leaves are also harvested and
dried at this time[4].
Evening primrose oil has become a well-known food supplement since the
1980's. Research suggests that the oil is potentially very valuable in the
treatment of multiple sclerosis, pre-menstrual tension, hyperactivity
etc[66]. It is also taken internally in the treatment of eczema, acne,
brittle nails, rheumatoid arthritis and alcohol-related liver damage[238].
Regular consumption of the oil helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels and
lower the blood pressure[21, 66]. The seed is a good source of
gamma-linolenic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid which assists the production
of hormone-like substances[222, 238]. This process is commonly blocked in the
body, causing disorders that affect the uterine muscles, nervous system and
metabolism[238].
The poulticed root is applied to piles and bruises[222].
A tea made from the roots is used in the treatment of obesity and bowel
pains[222].
Other Uses
Cosmetic; Dye.
The oil from the seed is added to skin preparations and cosmetics. It
is often combined with vitamin E to prevent oxidation[238].
A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers[7].
A finely ground powder made from the flowering stems is used cosmetically in
face-masks to counteract reddened skins[7].
Cultivation details
Prefers a dryish well-drained sandy loam and a warm sunny position[1,
4, 200], though it is tolerant of most soils[4]. Heavy clay soils may induce
winter rots[200]. Grows well on very poor soils[160, 238]. Established plants
are drought resistant[160].
Formerly cultivated for its edible roots, the evening primrose is being
increasingly cultivated for the oil contained in its seed which contains
certain essential fatty acids and is a very valuable addition to the
diet[66]. See the notes on medicinal uses for more details.
The flowers open in the evening and are strongly scented with a delicious
sweet perfume[245], attracting pollinating moths[4]. The seeds are a good
food source for birds[200].
Plants usually self-sow freely if they are growing in a suitable position,
they can naturalize in the wild garden[4, K].
Propagation
Seed - sow in situ from late spring to early summer[200].
Scent
-
Flowers: Fresh
- The flowers open in the evening, they are richly scented with a delicious sweet perfume and are very attractive to moths[245].
Suppliers
Plants For A Future is working with the following groups to try and make these plants easily available. Parts of the proceeds will be donated to so please mention us when ordering.
- Wildwood Nurseries
-
Lower Manor Cottage
Thornbury
Holsworthy
Devon
EX22 7DD
Email: lorna@macace.co.uk
Phone 01409 261324
Fax 01409 261324
Distribution: UK
How to order: Direct from Wildwood by email/phone
Last Updated: March 03
Item:
Oenothera biennis
(evening primrose)
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Oenethera biennis (a possible synonym).
References for oenothera biennis (a possible synonym).
References for the family Onagraceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[12] Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2
A handy pocket guide.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
[33] Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960
Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.
[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.
[66] Freethy. R. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press 1985 ISBN 0-946284-51-2
Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.
[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.
[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.
[114] Chakravarty. H. L. The Plant Wealth of Iraq.
It is surprising how many of these plants can be grown in Britain. A very readable book on the useful plants of Iraq.
[141] Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986 ISBN 0704909820
Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.
[159] McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977 ISBN 0-253-28925-4
A nice pocket guide to this region of America.
[160] Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[234] - Radio 4 Farming Programme, 25/08/95. - 1995
An article on the potential of Coriandrum sativum as an oil crop.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
Readers Comments
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Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Oenothera+biennis
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