Evening Primrose

Onagraceae

LIFE FORM: Biennial

NATIVITY: North America

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

A basal rosette of long, narrow leaves with distince white midveins and unlobed margins; branches near the top of the stalk that can reach up to 6 feet in height.

FLOWERS:

Bright yellow flowrs are about an inch in diameter and conspicuous; bloom from June through September; woody seed pods persist on the tall stalks through the winter.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Seeds germinate readily.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Neglected residential and commercial landscapes; minimally maintained public parks and open space; vacant lots and rubble dump sites; abandoned grasslands (meadows); small-scale pavement openings (tree pits) and cracks; chain-link fence lines; unmowed highway banks and median strips with frequent salt applications; railroad tracks with ballast substrate.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Disturbance-adapted colonizer.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

This mid-western species has successfully moved east; it was introducted into Europe as an ornamental and has become a weed there as well; the plant was used medicinally by native Americans, and its roots are edible when cooked.