Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) in the Oenotheras Database

This plant is a North American native. Its yellow blooms exude a perfume that attracts the nocturnal sphinx moth, which pollinates it. It has been used by Native Americans for various ailments for years, but more recently it has become the focus of medical research. The plant may have an anti-clotting factor that would make it useful in the prevention of heart attacks. It has also been found that the oil of the evening primrose might help those who suffer from atopic eczema, asthma and from migraine. None of these drugs has been approved in the US, however.

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This plant works as a "trap plant" for Popillia aka "Japanese" beetles. I let these grow in a few places. When the beetles appear, they can often be found on the tallest clusters of leaves, in the morning or evening especially. This year I've already picked many dozens of beetles. I knock the beetles into a bowl of water, then give them to my chickens. Chickens love to eat the beetles.

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Flowers open at night, emitting a creosote aroma that night flying sphinx moths find very attractive. Yellow bloom has 8 yellow stamens.
Indians ate the seeds and first year roots. Plant was introduced to Europe in early 1600's. Europeans ate the root and young shoots in salads.
Flowers emit a creosote smell that attracts night flying Sphinx moths.

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Honey bees get pollen from this plant.

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It is a very common forb in meadows and prairie and seashore from southeast Canada into Florida to Arizona up into southern British Columbia. I've only seen it as a wild plant.

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