All plants /Ground /Evening Primrose
Evening Primrose
Oenothera biennis, evening primrose family. Common in East and Central and West Texas.
At a glance
- What
- First-year root; young leaves; flowers
- How
- Root cooked; young leaves cooked; flowers raw
- When
- Cool seasons for root and leaves
- Where
- Fields, roadsides, disturbed ground
- Value
- Starchy root; a mild green
Caution: Eat the first-year root cooked and the young leaves cooked; both are peppery and best not eaten in quantity raw. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Identification
A first-year rosette becomes a tall stalk of yellow flowers that open at dusk. The useful root is the fleshy taproot of the first-year plant.
In the kitchen
The cooked root is peppery and a little nutty, a wild parsnip of sorts; the young leaves cook down and the flowers garnish a plate.
Photo: Christian Ferrer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.