Herbaceous plant with yellowish grand flowers. The leaves form a basal rostte at ground level and spiral up to the flowering stems. The blades are dentate or deeply lobed ( pinnatifd). The flower of many species open in the evening, hence the name  Evening primrose”. They may open in under a minute.

The whole plant and especially the leaves were boiled by native American tribes as a stimulant to treat laziness  and against “over fatness”. The tribes also used the roots externally to treat piles and boils. The bark and the leaves are astringent and sedative.  They have proved of use in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders of a functional origin, wooping cough and asthima.

today, Evening primrose (oenanthera grandiflora) is still used for food, with the leaves and flowers being added to salads and the root being eaten as  a vegetable. The oil from thr leaves and seeds  is used  in the cream and salves used to relieve the itching and redness of the skin conditionas eczema.