Evening primrose is a coarse, annual or biennial plant found in dry meadows and waste places and along roadsides east of the rockies to the Atlantic.

Astringent, mucilaginous. Use evening primrose as a soothing remedy for coughs associated with colds. It has also been used for mental depression, its effectiveness perhaps due to a stimulating effect on the liver, spleen, and digestive apparatus. It can also be made into an ointment useful for rashes and other skin irritations. The entire plant is edible.