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Drawing copyright Mark Müller
Onagraceae Family - "Night Willow-herb, Large Rampion, Tree-primrose, King's Cure-all, Scurvish"
Oenothera was a name used by Theophrastus for a species of Epilobium, another genus in this family. It also comes from the Greek word for "wine-scented"; referring to either the scent of the flowers or the fact the roots were once used to make wine. Biennis from "biennial" because the plant lives for two years.
Found throughout the Tallgrass Region on dry prairies and ridges or sandy areas. It also tends to favor roadsides, old fields and waste areas. Bright yellow flowers appear on a 3 to 5 foot stem from July through September. In its first year, O. biennis is markedly different from the way we normally see it. It is a flattened rosette of elongated leaves with very strong, fleshy roots. It is in the second year that the familiar flowered stem appears.
After drying the entire plant, Native Americans prepared a cold infusion of the pulverized dried plant to treat whooping cough, hiccoughs and asthma. The infusion also served as an astringent and as a sedative. Skin diseases were treated by a salve made from this plant. The Maojave Indians used the seeds as a food source; the roots of the first-year plant were a very important food source for Native Americans. The roots were gathered and dried and used as a gruel or soup thickener. Early settlers also ate the roots and used the young shoots in salads.
