Evening primrose is an upright biennial flowering plant that has tremendously naturalized in Canada and almost all parts of the US (excluding Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming). It is a typical treat for the eyes all across Missouri state in the fields, thickets, prairies, and along the roadsides.
It can grow up to a good height of 5 ft with lanceolate leaves that appear as a compact rosette during the first year of primrose’s growth and then in a spiral fashion in its second year. The plant produces hermaphrodite flowers that open every evening and continue to stay in bloom until the next noon. This evening blooming venture has garnered some peculiar attention, hence called evening primrose. These flowers emerge on a tall spiky stem with vibrantly yellow petals, calling all the hungry pollinators for a good deed.
Evening primrose seeds are more of an important subject due to their exceptional nutritional content and highly prized medicinal benefits. These seeds yield evening primrose oil which serves as a rich source of Omega-6 fatty acids. It is widely used to support the treatment of atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, mastalgia (breast pain), premenstrual symptoms, menopausal symptoms, labor induction (or augmentation), and cervical ripening.