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Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

Dandelion | Saint Croix Boomsite, MN | View Enlarged Image

Evening Primrose is often a very tall flower (usually between three and five and a half feet). What you see above is just the top of the plant. It produces a cluster of yellow flowers in the late summer or early fall. These flowers bloom one at a time from the bottom up, and only generally last from the evening of one day until the morning of the next (hence the common name) before wilting. The flowers are pollinated by moths at night.

Interesting facts:

• While many people regard evening primrose as a "weed", it is a native plant that produces seeds that feed many wild birds through the winter. It was once a common prairie flower, and is reccomended by the DNR for landscaping.
• Evening Primrose was imported into Europe, where it is used as a food source.
• Like common mullein, Evening Primrose is a biennial, meaning it takes two years to grow. It spends its first year forming root system, spreading leaves that are often no larger than two to six inches long.

Multimedia:

Evening Primrose | Saint Croix Boomsite, MN

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