Evening primrose

Oenothera biennis

Onagraceae

A dusk-opening yellow native whose seed oil is taken for skin and cycle folklore.

Seed oil is a supplement (GLA). The wild biennial is a North American native.

Parts used: Seed oil · Young root as food
Traditional notes: Irritable skin folklore · PMS folklore · A wild vegetable root
Grow · USDA 6b: Biennial, USDA 4–9 Surface-sow. Let it self-sow a patch. In work: Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep
Harvest: Seed in year 2 when capsules dry; root in year 1 if you eat it.

Waste ground. Rich soil makes floppy giants and fewer flowers.
Moths work the dusk bloom — plant it where you sit at evening.
Save dry capsules in a paper bag and shake out seed.

Safety

Seizure disorder without advice Before surgery (theoretical bleeding)

Lore

The yellow flowers open at dusk as if they had an appointment. Native to eastern North America; the seed oil became a 1980s supplement. Moths do the pollinating while you are indoors.

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.