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This week’s Wildflower Wednesday Flower is Biennial Beeblossom.
Beeblossom is a tall, lanky, weedy wildflower that is native to WI. It can grow up to 6 feet tall and has white or pink flowers and leaves that turn red when mature.
It is a biennial plant, completing its life cycle over the course of two years, reaching full maturity towards the end of the second year.
It propagates itself by reseeding, the flimsy makeup of the plant allows it to sway in the wind, easily distributing its small seeds.
Up until 2007 the scientific name for this flower was Gaura coccinea. (The name Gaura comes from the Greek word, gauros, meaning proud or superb, and referred to its flowers.) In 2007 scientists using DNA evidence reclassified it into the genus Oenothera, which puts it in the Evening Primrose family.
It is not toxic but has very few medicinal uses besides being used as a folk remedy to settle the stomach after vomiting.
The Lakota reportedly rubbed it on their hands to catch horses. Apparently, the horses were attracted to the smell.
When used as a flower remedy, Beeblossom is said to open the crown chakra and aid in spiritual connections. It is also used to improve one's ability to focus.
