Oenothera biennis
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Read about Oenothera biennis in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Oenothera biennis, Linn. (Onagra biennis, Scop.). European Evening Primrose. Fig. 2566. Usually biennial, but often flowering the first year: mature rosettes of plants grown in rich soil 2 ft. diam.: roots large and fleshy, often 2 in. diam. at the crown: st. about 3-4 ft. tall, copiously branched, green: Lvs. varying from narrowly oblanceolate below to ovate above: calyx-tube nearly 1½ in. long; unopened bud an inch long or less; petals obcordate, broader than long, 1 in. wide; stigmas surrounded by the anthers and self-pollinated in the bud: caps. 1 in. long, loosely aggregated in the lower part of the spike, more densely above, shorter than the subpersistent leafy bracts.—Intro, into Eu. from Amer., and now a common weed in the Old World. Gn. 26, p. 480—It is somewhat coarse and has little to recommend it to cult., although it is larger-fid, and more beautiful than the common American plants, which, although they are different from the species here described, pass under the name OE. biennis. In France and other European countries, the roots of OE. biennis are said to be used as a vegetable, after the manner of salsify or oyster plant. The root should be eaten, according to Vilmorin, "at the end of the first year of its growth." OE. biennis is now unknown as a wild plant in Amer., although it will probably be found among the numerous locally distributed forms which have not yet been adequately studied. A number of obscure kinds pass in Amer. under the name OE. biennis. Most of them are more weedy than the European species and the roots are generally woody and tough. A var. hirsutissima (OE. franciscana, Bartlett) is offered in Calif., described as having sts. stout and reddish: Lvs. hairy, light green, lanceolate: fls. large, bright yellow. Var. grandiflora, Lindl. (OE. grandiflora, Ait.). Plant large and strong: lower Lvs. often pinnatifid: fls. much larger, the petals 1-2½ in. long; buds ' glabrous and usually red-spotted. B.M.2068. B.R. 1604. Gn. 26, p. 482; 46, p. 64.—Very showy when the fls. open, Commoner southward. Seeds sold under this name are usually the next species.
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Oenothera biennis (Common evening primrose or Evening star), is a biennial flowering plant growing to 1.2 m (3 to 4 ft), with easy germination. It is also known as Weedy evening-primrose, German rampion, hog weed, King's cure-all, and fever-plant.
Its hermaphrodite, pale yellow flowers bloom for most of the summer, from June to September. They open in the evening, hence the name "evening primrose", and are pollinated by Lepidoptera (Moths and Butterflies) and bees.
The mature seeds contain approximately 7-10% gamma-linolenic acid, a rare essential fatty acid. The O. biennis seed oil is used to reduce the pains of premenstrual stress syndrome and is beneficial to the skin of the face.Template:Fact Also, poultices containing O. biennis were at one time used to ease bruises and speed wound healing.Template:Fact
The flower has an unusual response to ultraviolet light [1]. A brilliantly colored center, invisible in visible light, is boldly apparent under ultraviolet.