| Description | Common evening-primrose (Oenothera biennis) A tall native biennial with yellow lemon-scented flowers. |
|---|---|
| Plant Type | Wild Flowers, Biennials |
| Sunlight | full, mostly sunny, some shade |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | dry, rocky plains; disturbed areas, lakeshores, open woods |
| Flowers | yellow, four-petaled, lemon-scented, opens at night, fertilized by night-flying moths that are attracted to the scent |
| Fruit | long narrow seedpods (capsules) split open from the top, irregular brown seeds, seeds can stay viable for 70 years |
| Leaves | light or olive green leaves, up to 8" long and 2" wide, lanceolate and resemble willow leaves, margins are smooth or slightly dentate, nearly hairless, forms a flat rosette of leaves the first year, smaller leaves can emerge from the leaf axis |
| Stems | light green or red, covered with white hairs. |
| Roots | fleshy taproot |
| Dimensions | over 3 feet |
| Propagation | Sow unstratified seed in fall – stratified in spring. |
| Native Site | Native throughout most of Canada and the USA. |
| Misc Facts | Genus name is unclear but may have come from the Greek words oinos and theras meaning wine-seeker in probable reference to an ancient use of the roots of genus plants in scenting wine. Genus name identifies the biennial growing cycle of this plant. AKA: common evening-primrose, evening star, sun drop, weedy evening primrose, German rampion, hogweed, King's cure-all, or fever-plan |
| Author's Notes | Since it is a biennial it dies after flowering but will return from seeds the next year. |
| Notes & Reference | #144-Missouri Botanical Gardens web site (www.missouribotanicalgarden.org), #153-Illinois Wild Flower (www.illinoiswildflowers.info), #191-Minnesota Wild Flowers (www.minnesotawildflowers.info) |
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