Gewöhnliche Nachtkerze

Prefers a dryish well-drained sandy loam and a warm sunny position, though it is tolerant of most soils. Heavy clay soils may induce winter rots. Grows well on very poor soils. Established plants are drought resistant. Formerly cultivated for its edible roots, the evening primrose is being increasingly cultivated for the oil contained in its seed which contains certain essential fatty acids and is a very valuable addition to the diet. See the notes on medicinal uses for more details. The flowers open in the evening and are strongly scented with a delicious sweet perfume, attracting pollinating moths. The seeds are a good food source for birds. Plants usually self-sow freely if they are growing in a suitable position, they can naturalize in the wild garden[4, K]. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is fleshy. Thick or swollen - fibrous or tap root [2-1].

Edible Parts: Flowers Leaves Oil Root Seedpod Shoots Edible Uses: Oil Root - cooked. Boiled and eaten like salsify. Fleshy, sweet and succulent. Wholesome and nutritious. A peppery taste. The taste somewhat resembles salsify or parsnips. Young shoots - raw or cooked. Mucilaginous, with a peppery flavour, they are best used sparingly. Another source suggests that the shoots should not be eaten. Flowers - sweet. Used in salads or as a garnish. Young seedpods - cooked. Steamed. The seed contains 28% of a drying oil. It is edible and a very good source of gamma-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that is not found in many plant sources and has numerous vital functions in the body. The seed, however, is very small and difficult to harvest, it has to be done by hand. Overall yields are low, making the oil very expensive to produce.

Cosmetic Dye Miscellany Oil The oil from the seed is added to skin preparations and cosmetics. It is often combined with vitamin E to prevent oxidation. A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers. A finely ground powder made from the flowering stems is used cosmetically in face-masks to counteract reddened skins.

Heimisch: Alabama, Alberta, Arkansas, British Columbia, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Northeast, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nova Scotia Eingeführt: Albania, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Austria, Baltic States, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil South, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Central European Russia, Chile Central, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colorado, Corse, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, East European Russia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Free State, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hawaii, Hungary, India, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, Kuril Is., KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Madeira, Manchuria, Morocco, Myanmar, NW. Balkan Pen., Netherlands, New Mexico, Newfoundland, Northern Provinces, Northwest European Russia, Norway