Golden Suncup (Oenothera brevipes)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Exposure
- Full sun
Cultivation
We have very little information on this species and are not sure if it will succeed outdoors in Britain, though it is worth trying as a spring sown annual. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a dryish well-drained sandy loam and full sun. Succeeds in poor soils. The flowers open in the evening, they are richly scented and are very attractive to moths.
Propagation
Seed - sow in situ from late spring to early summer.
Edible uses
Seed.. No more details are given, but the seed is rather small and its use would be very fiddly. Seedpod. No more details are given. Root - cooked. Too small to be a staple food, but useful in an emergency, the roots taste best in late autumn, winter and early spring. Leaves and young shoots - cooked.
Habitat
Dry slopes and washes below 1500 metres.
Native range
South-western N. America - California.
Scientific synonyms Chylismia brevipes
Same genus
- Kunth's evening primrose (Oenothera kunthiana)
- Pale evening primrose (Oenothera pallida)
- Fourpoint evening primrose (Oenothera rhombipetala)
- Narrowleaf evening primrose (Oenothera tetragona)
- Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
- Hartweg's sundrops (Oenothera toumeyi)
- Flaming Gorge evening primrose (Oenothera acutissima)
- Longflower evening primrose (Oenothera affinis)