An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any good garden soil. Prefers a deep open sharply drained soil in a sunny position. This species is sometimes cultivated in Europe for the oil in its seed. The flowers open in the morning or evening, closing when exposed to bright sunlight.

Seed - raw or cooked. Although quite small, the seed was a staple food for some native North American Indian tribes. Rich in oil, it can be roasted then ground into a powder and eaten dry, mixed with water, or combined with cereal flours. The seed was also used as piñole. The seed contains about 41% of a sweet edible oil, about 28% can be extracted from the seed in an oil press. Of a high quality, it can be used as a substitute for olive oil. The oil does not solidify until the temperature drops to -11°c.

Seed - sow in mid spring in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a couple of weeks.

Sand, gravel, open grassland and disturbed soils.