Evening Primrose

Origin: North America

Family: Onagraceae
Scientific Name: Oenothera biennis

Folk Names: Evening star, King’s cure all, night light, night willow herb, scabish

Magical

Element: Water
Day: Monday
Planet: Neptune
Zodiac: Pisces
Deities: Diana

Magical Properties: Beauty, success, friendship, truth, transition, health, binding, intuition

Aromatherapy

Part Used: Seeds
Extraction Method: Cold-pressing or solvent extraction
Flash Point: 270°C

Perfume Use: Base oil
Shelf Life: 6 months
Scent Description: Sweet, slightly nutty

Active Constituents: High in linoleic

Topical Uses

Skin Types: Dry/combination
Absorption Rate: Fast
Viscosity: Light/medium

Properties: Softening and deeply soothing to irritated and inflamed skin; regenerative skincare, mature aging skin, psoriasis and eczema, anti-inflammatory, very healing.

Practical

Virtually all parts of the plants are edible:

Indigenous Uses:

Beauty

Botanical

Evening Primrose refers to the entire genus of Oenothera, which consists of about 145 species.

Type: Biennial flower
Plant size: 30-150cm
Leaves: Lance-shaped leaves 5-20cm long and 1-2.5cm wide. They grow in a tight rosette in the first year, and spirally on the stem in the second year. Flowers over summer.
Flowers: Yellow flowers with four bi-lobed petals, 2.5-5cm in diameter.
Fruit: 2-4cm long capsules containing numerous 1-2mm long seeds.

Etymology: Unrelated to true primroses (Primula spp.), although the flowers can look similar. Named “evening primrose” for the flowers which open visibly quickly every evening and last until the following noon.