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Information on Evening Primrose

The evening primrose (Oenothera lamarckiana) is a robust biennial and can be found in the United States east of the Rockies. The flowers are light yellow and are about 2 inches across when mature. They open in the late afternoon. The height of the stems reach 2 to 5 feet.

  1. Soil

    • The evening primrose prefers well-drained rather than moist soils. The pH levels in which it can flourish can be neutral to high. It is a hardy plant that grows in soil temperatures of between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It has a 70 percent average success rate when planted; 1 oz. of seeds covers 980 square feet and 3 lbs. covers an acre. Seeds should be sown at a depth of 1/16 inch.

    Suggested Use

    • The evening primrose blooms between May and July. Its suggested use, according to Texas A&M Extension Service, is by roadsides, fence lines and meadows. The evening primrose is biennial, which means that the lifespan of the plant runs for two years. It then dies and regrowth is through seeding.

    Other Names

    • According to the Alternative Nature website, other names for the evening primrose are, common evening primrose, fever plant, great evening-primrose, king's-cure-all, night willow-herb, scabish, scurvish and tree primrose.

    Flower Scent and Seeds

    • The evening primrose flower has a strong sweet scent that attracts pollinating moths. The seeds of the evening primrose are tiny and reddish.

      The yellow flower of the evening primrose adds to the color of the summer. It is a fairly hardy flower but not as aggressive as some other varieties in the way it spreads or dominates other species in the same area. At the same time, it does yield a large amount of seeds and so can easily spread in the absence of strong competition.

    Food and Natural Medicine

    • The leaves, roots and flowers of the evening primrose are edible.

      The evening primrose is edible and its leaves, roots and flowers were and are eaten. Native American Indian tribes ate the evening primrose as a staple. Today, the flowers are added to salads, as a garnish and its young seedpods are steamed.

      Seeds can be roasted. To roast the seeds, roast the seeds in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle them on bread or in salads. You can sprinkle primrose seeds like you would black pepper.

      Evening primrose is also used as an alternative medicine. Oil from its seeds is processed and used in a variety of alternative-health remedies.

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