Golden Suncup

Oenothera brevipes

Physical Characteristics

Oenothera brevipes is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies), bees. The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Distribution

South-western N. America - California.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves Root Seed Seedpod Shoots Edible Uses: Seed.[105, 161, 257]. No more details are given, but the seed is rather small and its use would be very fiddly. Seedpod[213]. 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[213]. Leaves and young shoots - cooked[213]. The seeds are the primary food part and are unusually high value for a desert annual. They are tasty, oily, and easy to harvest and store, with optional gentle toasting and excellent use as a soup-thickening ingredient due to their mucilage. Edible Uses & Rating: The edible part is the seed. As a seed-producing desert annual with unusually favorable harvest and processing traits, yellow suncups rates very highly as a wild food where it occurs. It is one of the rare cases where a desert seed can be gathered efficiently enough to matter. Leaves are not the documented food use here, and the plant’s value is overwhelmingly in its seeds. Taste, Processing & Kitchen Notes: Fresh seeds have a sandy, oily, bread-like flavor with a delicately crunchy texture. That “sandy” note is often a mix of the seed’s natural texture plus desert dust and fine capsule residue, so careful cleaning improves the eating quality. Toasting deepens the oiliness, reduces the sandy overtone, and adds a pleasant bran-like character, but the seeds scorch easily. Gentle heat is essential because bitter smoke and rapid blackening can happen quickly. The seeds contain mucilage, which becomes obvious when simmered: broth thickens fast and the seeds develop a slippery coating. This makes them very good for soups, where they add both flavor and body, but it also means whole seeds can become oddly hard to chew once coated. Crushing or grinding before adding them to soup prevents that problem and produces a smoother, more uniformly thickened result. Seasonality (Phenology): Yellow suncups typically blooms in early spring in warmer deserts, often beginning around March, with seed set following a few weeks later. The exact window depends on rainfall timing and local elevation. Once capsules mature and begin to split, seeds can remain available for several weeks because many capsules retain seed rather than dumping it all immediately to wind. This extended harvest window is part of what makes the species unusually valuable. Safety & Cautions (Food Use): No specific toxin concern is highlighted for yellow suncups seeds in your source material, but standard seed-harvest cautions apply. Avoid plants growing in contaminated soils or along heavily trafficked roadsides. Clean seeds well to reduce grit, dust, and capsule fragments, and toast gently if using heat to reduce any unseen pests. Harvest & Processing Workflow: Harvest when capsules are mature and beginning to split into four parts, but before most seed has fallen. Collect seed heads into a container or bag and allow them to dry further if needed. Thresh by rubbing and shaking to release seeds. Winnow lightly to remove capsule fragments, then do a final cleaning step to remove dust and grit. For storage, keep seeds dry; a brief low-heat toasting can help reduce pest risk. For soup, crush or grind first to prevent mucilage from forming a slippery coating on whole seeds. For porridge or meal-style uses, toasting followed by simmering gives the best balance of flavor and texture. Cultivar/Selection Notes: No cultivars are known for this wild desert annual. Natural populations vary in size and productivity depending on rainfall, site conditions, and competition pressure. Look-Alikes & Confusion Risks: The evening primrose family has many similar-looking desert annuals, and names have shifted across Chylismia, Camissonia, and Oenothera depending on the authority. For field identification, the most practical distinction is capsule structure and the seed stage traits. Yellow suncups has long, narrow capsules that split four ways, and in maturity the split capsule segments can peel back in a distinctive way. Confirm by checking the combination of yellow four-petaled flowers, inferior ovary, and the narrow linear capsule dimensions. When uncertain, avoid relying on leaf shape alone, since leaf cutting varies greatly in desert annuals. Traditional / Indigenous Use Summary: Despite the seeds’ outstanding practical value, recorded Indigenous food use appears infrequently documented in the material you provided. That may reflect gaps in the record rather than true absence of use. From a foraging standpoint, the plant’s “ease-to-return” ratio suggests it could have been an opportunistic seed resource when locally abundant.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Known Hazards

No specific toxin concern is highlighted for yellow suncups seeds in your source material, but standard seed-harvest cautions apply. Avoid plants growing in contaminated soils or along heavily trafficked roadsides. Clean seeds well to reduce grit, dust, and capsule fragments, and toast gently if using heat to reduce any unseen pests.