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Oenothera elata hookeri

Common name:	Hooker's Evening Primrose	Family:	Onagraceae
Author:	(Torr.& A.Gray.)W. Dietr.& W.L.Wagner.	Botanical references:	204
Synonyms:	Oenothera hookeri (Torr.& A.Gray.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	North-western N. America.
Habitat:	Dry open soils, meadows and roadsides[204].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	O. biennis var. hookeri[B,P] O. elata ssp. hookeri[B,C,CAL,P] O. elata subsp. hookeri[G] O. franciscana[G] O. hookeri ssp. montereyensis[B,P] O. hookeri subsp. montereyensis[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Evening Primrose, Hooker's [S], Hooker's Evening Primrose [S,H], Hooker's Eveningprimrose [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	elata = high
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Myrtales. Evening Primrose family

Physical Characteristics

Biennial/Perennial growing to 0.8m. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from July to October, 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 1/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Leaves Root Seedpod.

Root - cooked. Boiled and eaten like parsnip[183].
Young shoots - raw or cooked. Added to salads or boiled as a potherb[183]. They are usually blanched before use[183]. A mucilaginous texture.
The young pod-like fruits can be eaten when cooked[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Poultice.

The plant has been used in the treatment of colds[257].
A poultice of the roots or the leaves has been used in the treatment of sores and swellings[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a dryish well-drained sandy loam and full sun. Heavy clay soils may induce winter rots. Succeeds on poor soils.
The flowers open in the evening, they are richly scented and are very attractive to moths. The seeds are a good food source for birds, especially finches.
Plants usually mutate freely.
This species is very closely related to, and perhaps no more than a part of, O. biennis[204].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ from late spring to early summer.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers open in the evening, they are richly scented and are very attractive to moths.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Oenothera elata ssp. hookeri (a possible synonym).

[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.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Oenothera elata subsp. hookeri (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Oenothera hookeri (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine

References for the family Onagraceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[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.

[204] Livingstone. B. Flora of Canada National Museums of Canada 1978 ISBN 0-660-00025-3
In 4 volumes, it does not deal with plant uses but gives descriptions and habitats.

[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.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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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

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