Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Evening Primrose | Common Rock-rose |
Hoary Rock-rose | Golden Samphire |
Yellow Horned Poppy | Field Fleawort |
Silver Ragwort | Sea purslane |
Wild Cabbage | Black Mustard |
Bird's Foot Trefoil | Sea Wormwood |
Yellow Stonecrop |
Common Sea Lavender | Rock Sea Lavender |
Vernal Squill | Sea Holly |
Sheep's Bit | Dune Pansy |
Sea Beet | Sea Spurge |
Alexanders | Sea Plantain |
Marram Grass | Lyme Grass |
Cord Grass | Sea Buckthorn |
Creeping Willow |
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Although nearly everybody has heard of Evening Primrose, not many actually know what it is. This colourful plant can be seen on almost any dune system in Britain, as well as colonising waste places and roadside verges. It's a biennial - flowering in its second year, and grows up to 4 feet in height. The bright yellow lemon-scented flowers are approximately 2 inches across, and the narrow lanceolate leaves have red veins.
The roots are edible when cooked, and both the leaves and flowers are edible. All parts are best harvested in mid or late Spring. Its flowering period is from late Spring until late Summer.