''Oenothera elata'' is a species of ''
Oenothera
''Oenothera'' is a genus of about 145 species of herbaceous flowering plants native to the Americas. It is the type genus of the family Onagraceae. Common names include evening primrose, suncups, and sundrops. They are not closely related to ...
'' known by the common name Hooker's evening primrose or tall evening primrose. Subspecies include ''hookeri'', ''hirsutissima'', ''longisima'', ''jamesii'', ''villosa'' and ''elata''. It is native to much of western and central North America. The plants are quite tall, especially the ''hookeri'' subspecies, native to
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, which can reach about 1.8 meters (6 feet) height.
["Botanica. The Illustrated AZ of over 10000 garden plants and how to cultivate them", p. 612. Könemann, 2004. ] The plants are found along roadsides, in moist meadows, or woodland, from sea level up to in elevation.
Description
The stout, usually reddish stem has many long, narrow leaves, above a basal rosette. At its top is a large, open cluster of 2- to 4-inch wide yellow flowers with 4 large petals and protruding yellow stamens and 4-branched pistil, often covered in sticky pollen. The fragrant flowers open at dusk and wilt the next morning, turning orange or red.
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Uses
The Zuni people apply a poultice
A poultice, also called a cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth and placed over the skin to treat an aching, inflamed, or painful part of the body. It can be used on wounds, such as cuts.
'Poultice ...
of the powdered flower of the ''hookeri'' subspecies and saliva at night to swellings.
Gallery
Image:Oenothera elata evening primrose.jpg, Oenothera elata (Hooker's evening primrose), Irvine CA
Image:Evening primrose Oenothera elata two flowers.jpg, Oenothera elata flowers, Eastern Sierra, CA
Image:Oenotherahookeri3.JPG, E. elata var hookeri, Water Conservation Garden, El Cajon CA
Image:Evening primrose Oenothera elata plants.jpg, Oenothera elata: basal & stem leaves, reddish stems, large yellow flowers, & drying orange-red flowers
References
Further reading
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External links
Calflora Database: ''Oenothera elata'' (Hooker's evening primrose)Jepson Manual eFlora treatment of ''Oenothera elata''Photo gallery
elata
Elata is a Greek village on the island of Chios. The village is situated on hilly terrain and has a population of several hundred.
Elata
Elata became a village hundreds of years ago when seven tribes came together to protect themselves from Tur ...
Night-blooming plants
Flora of the Northwestern United States
Flora of the Southwestern United States
Flora of the South-Central United States
Flora of Northwestern Mexico
Flora of California
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
Taxa named by Carl Sigismund Kunth
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
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