- Family:
- Onagraceae Juss.
- Genus:
- Oenothera L.
Oenothera biennis L.

[UPFC]
- Ecology
- Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: artificial - terrestrial.
- Vernacular
- Evening primrose, German rampion, Onagra
[FIQ]
Ghazanfar, S. A. & Edmondson, J. R (Eds). (2014) Flora of Iraq, Volume 5 Part 2: Lythraceae to Campanulaceae.
- Note
- Common (UK) or European (Am.) Evening Primrose (Eng.) Though really biennial, these graceful erect herbs flower freely during their first summer, producing a succession of large pale yellow flowers opening in the evening.
- Ecology
- The fragrantly-scented flowers of these plants are pollinated by nocturnal flying insects, such as hawkmoths (Sphingideae), for which they are well adapted. Although originally native of eastern temperate North America, they have been cultivated in Europe for some 350 years and are now widely naturalized there in such habitats as river banks, thickets and sandy places.
[FIQ]
- Use
- Evening Primroses (Oenothera biennis and related species) are also occasionally cultivated in gardens at Baghdad. The root resembling a short red carrot is edible and has been a popular component of salads and soups, or boiled as a vegetable. Eaten as a “mezze”, or aperitif “hors d’oeuvres”, it enjoyed the reputation of a stimulant to wine-drinking, to which the Latin name of the genus Oenothera, derived from an ancient Greek name implying “wine-scenting”, is held to be an allusion.
Native to:
Alabama, Alberta, Arkansas, British Columbia, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Northeast, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward I., Québec, Rhode I., Saskatchewan, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Introduced into:
Albania, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Austria, Baltic States, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil South, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Central European Rus, Chile Central, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colorado, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East European Russia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Free State, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hawaii, Hungary, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, Kuril Is., KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Madeira, Manchuria, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Mexico, Newfoundland, Northern Provinces, Northwest European R, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Romania, Rwanda, Sakhalin, Sicilia, South European Russi, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, West Siberia, Yugoslavia
- Brunyera biennis Bubani
- Oenothera beckeri Renner
- Oenothera biennis var. angustifolia Renner
- Oenothera biennis subsp. biennis Thell.
- Oenothera biennis subsp. caeciarum Munz
- Oenothera biennis var. cantabrigiana B.M.Davis
- Oenothera biennis subsp. centralis Munz
- Oenothera biennis subsp. chicaginensis (de Vries ex Renner & Cleland) Á.Löve & D.Löve
- Oenothera biennis subsp. grandiflora Stomps
- Oenothera biennis subf. latifolia (Asch.) Thell.
- Oenothera biennis f. leptomeres (Bartlett) P.D.Sell
- Oenothera biennis var. leptomeres Bartlett
- Oenothera biennis f. muricata (L.) H.Lév. ex Thell.
- Oenothera biennis var. muricata (L.) Torr. & A.Gray
- Oenothera biennis var. pycnocarpa (G.F.Atk. & Bartlett) Wiegand
- Oenothera biennis subsp. rubricaulis (Kleb.) Stomps
- Oenothera biennis var. rubricaulis (Farw.) Farw.
- Oenothera biennis subsp. suaveolens (Pers.) Rouy & E.G.Camus
- Oenothera biennis var. sulphurea de Vries ex Bartlett
- Oenothera biennis var. vulgaris Torr. & A.Gray
- Oenothera brevicapsula Bartlett
- Oenothera brevispicata Hudziok
- Oenothera cambrica Rostański
- Oenothera cambrica var. impunctata Rostański
- Oenothera carinthiaca Rostański
- Oenothera casimiri Rostański
- Oenothera chicaginensis de Vries ex Renner & Cleland
- Oenothera chicaginensis var. bartlettii Soldano
- Oenothera chicaginensis var. minutiflora Rostański & V.Jehlik
- Oenothera chicaginensis var. parviflora Renner
- Oenothera communis f. canescens H.Lév.
- Oenothera compacta Hudziok
- Oenothera editicaulis Hudziok
- Oenothera ersteinensis H.P.Linder & Jean
- Oenothera flaemingina Hudziok
- Oenothera furca Boedijn
- Oenothera gauroides Hornem.
- Oenothera gauroides var. brevicapsula (Bartlett) R.R.Gates
- Oenothera glabra Mill.
- Oenothera grandiflora var. tracyi (Bartlett) R.R.Gates
- Oenothera grandifolia R.R.Gates
- Oenothera graveolens Gilib.
- Oenothera hirtella de Vries
- Oenothera inconspecta Hudziok
- Oenothera indivisa Hudziok
- Oenothera jueterbogensis Hudziok
- Oenothera jueterbogensis var. macrosperma Hudziok
- Oenothera latipetala (Soldano) Soldano
- Oenothera macrosperma (Hudziok) Hudziok
- Oenothera marinellae Soldano
- Oenothera media Link
- Oenothera mediomarchica Hudziok
- Oenothera muricata L.
- Oenothera muricata var. latifolia Asch.
- Oenothera muricata var. rhodoneura Renner
- Oenothera muricata var. rubricaulis Farw.
- Oenothera nissensis Rostański
- Oenothera nissensis var. fiedleri Gutte & Rostański
- Oenothera novae-scotiae var. serratifolia R.R.Gates
- Oenothera nuda Renner ex Rostański
- Oenothera numismatica Bartlett
- Oenothera obscurifolia Hudziok
- Oenothera octolineata Hudziok
- Oenothera paradoxa Hudziok
- Oenothera paralamarckiana R.R.Gates
- Oenothera parviflora var. muricata (L.) Farw.
- Oenothera pedemontana Soldano
- Oenothera pellegrinii Soldano
- Oenothera pratincola Bartlett
- Oenothera pratincola var. numismatica (Bartlett) R.R.Gates
- Oenothera pratincola f. typica Bartlett
- Oenothera pubescens Nees
- Oenothera punctulata Rostański & Gutte
- Oenothera purpurata Kleb.
- Oenothera pycnocarpa G.F.Atk. & Bartlett
- Oenothera pycnocarpa var. cleistogama R.R.Gates
- Oenothera pycnocarpa var. parviflora R.R.Gates
- Oenothera pyramidiflora Hudziok
- Oenothera reynoldsii Bartlett
- Oenothera reynoldsii f. semialta Bartlett
- Oenothera reynoldsii f. typica Bartlett
- Oenothera rostanskii V.Jehlík
- Oenothera royfraseri R.R.Gates
- Oenothera rubiennis de Vries
- Oenothera rubricaulis Kleb.
- Oenothera rubricaulis var. dentifolia V.Jehlík & Rostański
- Oenothera rubricaulis var. longistylis Gutte & Rostański
- Oenothera rubricauloides Rostański
- Oenothera ruderalis Bartlett
- Oenothera sabulosa Farw.
- Oenothera sackvillensis R.R.Gates
- Oenothera sackvillensis var. albiviridis R.R.Gates
- Oenothera sackvillensis var. royfraseri (R.R.Gates) R.R.Gates
- Oenothera salicastrum de Vries
- Oenothera sesitensis Soldano
- Oenothera shulliana A.H.Sturtev.
- Oenothera stenomeres Bartlett
- Oenothera stenomeres f. typica Bartlett
- Oenothera stucchii Soldano
- Oenothera suaveolens Pers.
- Oenothera suaveolens var. latipetala Soldano
- Oenothera tacikii Rostański
- Oenothera tracyi Bartlett
- Oenothera turoviensis Rostański
- Oenothera victorinii R.R.Gates & Catches.
- Oenothera victorinii var. intermedia R.R.Gates
- Oenothera victorinii var. parviflora R.R.Gates
- Oenothera victorinii f. rostanskii (V.Jehlík) V.Jehlík & Rostański
- Oenothera victorinii var. undulata R.R.Gates
- Oenothera wratislaviensis Rostański
- Onagra biennis (L.) Scop.
- Onagra chrysantha var. latifolia Spach
- Onagra europaea Spach
- Onagra media (Link) Spach
- Onagra muricata (L.) Moench
- Onagra vulgaris Spach
- Onosuris acuminata Raf.
- Pseudo-oenothera virginiana Rupr.
Oenothera biennis L. appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status | Has image? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nov 13, 2017 | s.coll. [s.n.], Germany | K001097679 | Yes | ||
Nov 13, 2017 | Braun. A. [s.n.], Germany | K001097680 | lectotype | Yes | |
Cope, T.A. [RBG 218], Great Britain | Oenothera cambrica | K000914240 | Yes | ||
Cope, T.A. [RBG 99], Great Britain | Oenothera cambrica | K000914238 | Yes | ||
Cope, T.A. [RBG 193], Great Britain | Oenothera cambrica | K000914239 | Yes |
First published in Sp. Pl.: 346 (1753)
Accepted by
- Abdulina, S.A. (1999). Spisok Sosudistykn Rastenii Kazakhstana: 1-187. Academy of Sciences, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
- Ackerfield, J. (2015). Flora of Colorado: 1-818. BRIT Press.
- Aistova, E. (2009). Check-list of adventive flora of Amur region. Turczaninowia 12(1-2): 17-40.
- Allred, K.W. (2012). Flora Neomexicana, ed. 2, 1: 1-599. Range Science Herbarium, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
- Bailey, C. & al. (2015). Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee: 1-813. University of Tennessee press.
- Barkalov, V.Y. (ed.) (1991). Plantae Vasculares Orientalis Extremi Sovietici 5: 1-388. Nauka, Leningrad.
- Bhellum, B.L. (2012). Flora exotica of Jammu and Kashmir (List- I). Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 36: 33-45.
- Chang, C.S., Kim, H. & Chang, K.S. (2014). Provisional checklist of vascular plants for the Korea peninsula flora (KPF): 1-660. DESIGNPOST.
- Danin, A. & Fragman- Sapir, O. (2019). Flora of Israel Online http://flora.org.il/en/plants/.
- Davis, P.H. (ed.) (1972). Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 4: 1-657. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
- Dimopoulos, P., Raus, T., Bergmeier, E., Constantinidis, T., Iatrou, G., Kokkini, S., Strid, A., & Tzanoudakis, D. (2013). Vascular plants of Greece. An annotated checklist: 1-372. Botanic gardens and botanical museum Berlin-Dahlem, Berlin and Hellenic botanical society, Athens.
- Dobignard, A. & Chatelain, C. (2013). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 5: 1-451. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
- Edwards, S., Tadesse, M., Demissew, S. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (2000). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 2(1): 1-532. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
- Evenhuis, N.L. & Eldredge, L.G. (eds.) (2012). Records of the Hawaii biological survey for 2011. Part II: plants. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 113: 1-102.
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2021). Flora of North America North of Mexico 10: 1-456. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
- Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14: 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- Gilman, A.V. (2015). New flora of Vermont. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 110: 1-614.
- Grierson, A.J.C. & Long, D.G. (2001). Flora of Bhutan 2: 1-1675. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
- Iwatsuki, K., Boufford, D.E. & Ohba, H. (eds.) (1999). Flora of Japan IIc: 1-328. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.
- Jonsell, B. & Karlsson, T. (eds.) (2010). Flora Nordica 6: 1-298. The Bergius Foundaton.
- Kozhevnikov, A.E., Kozhevnikov, Z.V., Kwak, M. & Lee, B.Y. (2019). Illustrated flora of the Primorsky Territory, Russian Far East: 1-1124. National institute of biological resources.
- Kral, R., Diamond, A.R., Ginzbarg, S.L., Hansen, C.J., Haynes, R.R., Keener, B.R., Lelong, M.G., Spaulding, D.D. & Woods, M. (2011). Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Alabama: 1-112. Botanical reseach institute of Texas.
- Kress, W.J., DeFilipps, R.A., Farr, E. & Kyi, D.Y.Y. (2003). A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45: 1-590. Smithsonian Institution.
- Larson, J., Reif, B., Nelson, B.E. & Hartman, R.L. (2014). Floristic studies in North Central New Mexico, U.S.A. the Sange de Cristo mountains. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 8: 271-303.
- Lazkov, G.A. & Sultanova, B.A. (2011). Checklist of vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan. Norrlinia 24: 1-166.
- Mirek, Z., Piękoś-Mirkowa, H., Zając, A. & Zając, M (2020). Vascular plants of Poland an annotated checklist: 1-526. W. Szafer institute of botany, Polish academy of sciences, Krakow, Poland.
- Mohlenbrock, R.H. (2014). Vascular Flora of Illinois. A Field Guide, ed. 4: 1-536. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale.
- Mostaph, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
- Ovchinnikov, P.N. (ed.) (1981). Flora Tadzhikskoi SSR 6: 1-725. Izd-vo Akademii nauk SSSR, Moskva.
- Peschkova, G.A. (ed.) (2006). Flora of Siberia 10: 1-314. Scientific Publishers, Inc., Enfield, Plymouth.
- Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1968). Flora Europaea 2: 1-469. Cambridge University Press.
- Urziceanu, M. & al. (2020). Updated list of non-native ornamental plants in Romania. Contributii Botanice Universitatea "Babes-Bolyai" din Cluj-Napoca 55: 59-82.
- Villaseñor, J.L. (2016). Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559-902.
- Vladimirov, V., Dane, F. & Kit Tan (eds.) (2015). New floristic records in the Balkans: 28. Phytologia Balcanica 21: 367-399.
- Wu, Z., Raven, P.H. & Hong, D. (eds.) (2007). Flora of China 13: 1-548. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).
- Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.
Literature
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Abdulina, S.A. (1999). Spisok Sosudistykn Rastenii Kazakhstana: 1-187. Academy of Sciences, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
- Ackerfield, J. (2015). Flora of Colorado: 1-818. BRIT Press.
- Aistova, E. (2009). Check-list of adventive flora of Amur region. Turczaninowia 12(1-2): 17-40.
- Bailey, C. & al. (2015). Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee: 1-813. University of Tennessee press.
- Barkalov, V.Y. (ed.) (1991). Plantae Vasculares Orientalis Extremi Sovietici 5: 1-388. Nauka, Leningrad.
- Bhellum, B.L. (2012). Flora exotica of Jammu and Kashmir (List- I). Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 36: 33-45.
- Chang, C.S., Kim, H. & Chang, K.S. (2014). Provisional checklist of vascular plants for the Korea peninsula flora (KPF): 1-660. DESIGNPOST.
- Danin, A. & Fragman- Sapir, O. (2019). Flora of Israel Online http://flora.org.il/en/plants/.
- Dobignard, A. & Chatelain, C. (2013). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 5: 1-451. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
- Edwards, S., Tadesse, M., Demissew, S. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (2000). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 2(1): 1-532. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
- Evenhuis, N.L. & Eldredge, L.G. (eds.) (2012). Records of the Hawaii biological survey for 2011. Part II: plants. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 113: 1-102.
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2021). Flora of North America North of Mexico 10: 1-456. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
- Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14: 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- Gilman, A.V. (2015). New flora of Vermont. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 110: 1-614.
- Kral, R., Diamond, A.R., Ginzbarg, S.L., Hansen, C.J., Haynes, R.R., Keener, B.R., Lelong, M.G., Spaulding, D.D. & Woods, M. (2011). Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Alabama: 1-112. Botanical reseach institute of Texas.
- Larson, J., Reif, B., Nelson, B.E. & Hartman, R.L. (2014). Floristic studies in North Central New Mexico, U.S.A. the Sange de Cristo mountains. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 8: 271-303.
- Lazkov, G.A. & Sultanova, B.A. (2011). Checklist of vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan. Norrlinia 24: 1-166.
- Meades, S.J. & Brouillet, L. (2019). Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Newfoundland and Labrador https://www.newfoundland-labradorflora.com/checklist/.
- Mohlenbrock, R.H. (2014). Vascular Flora of Illinois. A Field Guide, ed. 4: 1-536. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale.
- Mostaph, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
- Ovchinnikov, P.N. (ed.) (1981). Flora Tadzhikskoi SSR 6: 1-725. Izd-vo Akademii nauk SSSR, Moskva.
- Peschkova, G.A. (ed.) (2006). Flora of Siberia 10: 1-314. Scientific Publishers, Inc., Enfield, Plymouth.
- Raven, P.H. (1964). Flora Iranica 7: 1-19. Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, Graz.
- Troupin, G. (ed.) (1983). Flora du Rwanda 2: 1-603. Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale.
- Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1993). Flora Europaea ed. 2, 1: 1-581. Cambridge University Press.
- USDA, NRCS ( 2021-continuously updated). Natural Resources Conservation Services Plant Database http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi?earl=checklist.html.
- Villaseñor, J.L. (2016). Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559-902.
- Vvedensky, A.I. (ed.) (1959). Flora Uzbekistana 4: 1-507. Izd-va Akademii nauk Uzbekskoi SSR, Tashkent.
- Wu, Z., Raven, P.H. & Hong, D. (eds.) (2007). Flora of China 13: 1-548. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).
- Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.
Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia
- Diazgranados et al. (2021). Catalogue of plants of Colombia. Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia project. In prep.
- Diazgranados, M., Allkin, B., Black N., Cámara-Leret, R., Canteiro C., Carretero J., Eastwood R., Hargreaves S., Hudson A., Milliken W., Nesbitt, M., Ondo, I., Patmore, K., Pironon, S., Turner, R., Ulian, T. (2020). World Checklist of Useful Plant Species. Produced by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity.
- FPI (2021). Food Plants International. https://fms.cmsvr.com/fmi/webd/Food_Plants_World?homeurl=https://foodplantsinternational.com/plants/
- GBIF.org (2021). GBIF species matching tool. https://www.gbif.org/tools/species-lookup
- GRIN (2021). Germplasm Resources Information Network from the United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.ars-grin.gov/
- Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humbodlt (2014). Plantas alimenticias y medicinales nativas de Colombia. 2567 registros, aportados por: Castellanos, C. (Contacto del recurso), Valderrama, N. (Creador del recurso, Autor), Bernal, Y. (Autor), García, N. (Autor). http://i2d.humboldt.org.co/ceiba/resource.do?r=ls_colombia_magnoliophyta_2014
- Medicinal Plant Names Services (MPNS) v.10 (2021); http://mpns.kew.org/
- RBG, Kew (2021). Kew Economic Botany Collection. https://ecbot.science.kew.org/
-
Flora of Iraq
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Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Science Photographs
Copyright applied to individual images
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Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0