Onagraceae FAMILY

Oenothera elata hookeri

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitBiennial/Perennial

Growth—

Prefers a dryish well-drained sandy loam and full sun. Heavy clay soils may induce winter rots. Succeeds on poor soils. The flowers open in the evening, they are richly scented and are very attractive to moths. The seeds are a good food source for birds, especially finches. Plants usually mutate freely. This species is very closely related to, and perhaps no more than a part of, O. biennis^[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ from late spring to early summer. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Oenothera+elata+hookeri>

Pollinators

Lepidoptera, bees, Self

References

[1]Flora of Canada — Livingstone. B. · National Museums of Canada · 1978 · ISBN 0-660-00025-3 ↩︎In 4 volumes, it does not deal with plant uses but gives descriptions and habitats.
[2]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[3]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.