Burke: Oenothera curtiflora

	Oenothera curtiflora
	small-flowered gaura, velvet weed, velvetweed
Habit	Annual from a taproot, the stem single, simple below and branched above, 0.2-2 m. tall, puberulent, but also with soft, spreading hairs 2 mm. long.
Leaves	Leaves alternate, the basal leaves spatulate, the lower cauline leaves oblong, the others oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, 4-15 cm. long, entire to wavy-dentate, gradually reduced upward to very small, linear floral bracts.
Flowers	Inflorescence of many-flowered spikes, 1-3 dm. long; calyx tube very slender, 2-3 mm. long, with 4 distinct, reflexed lobes 2-3 mm. long; petals 4, short-clawed, pinkish, 2 mm. long; stamens 8, filaments without basal scales; ovary inferior, 4-celled.
Fruits	Fruit hardened, 6-10 mm. long, spindle-shaped, glabrous, 4-angled by not winged.

	Oenothera curtiflora
Flowering time	June-September
Habitat	Meadows, stream banks, roadsides, sandy or rocky slopes, often where disturbed.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; south-central Washington to eastern Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona, east to North Dakota,, Iowa, and Louisiana; introduced in California and the eastern U.S., South America, Asia, and Australia. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Introduced from the central U.S.
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	O. biennis, O. cespitosa, O. elata, O. flava, O. glazioviana, O. pallida, O. suffrutescens
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Oenothera curtiflora

small-flowered gaura, velvet weed, velvetweed

Habit

Annual from a taproot, the stem single, simple below and branched above, 0.2-2 m. tall, puberulent, but also with soft, spreading hairs 2 mm. long.

Leaves

Leaves alternate, the basal leaves spatulate, the lower cauline leaves oblong, the others oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, 4-15 cm. long, entire to wavy-dentate, gradually reduced upward to very small, linear floral bracts.

Flowers

Inflorescence of many-flowered spikes, 1-3 dm. long;

calyx tube very slender, 2-3 mm. long, with 4 distinct, reflexed lobes 2-3 mm. long;

petals 4, short-clawed, pinkish, 2 mm. long;

stamens 8, filaments without basal scales;

ovary inferior, 4-celled.

Fruits

Fruit hardened, 6-10 mm. long, spindle-shaped, glabrous, 4-angled by not winged.

Oenothera curtiflora

Flowering time

June-September

Habitat

Meadows, stream banks, roadsides, sandy or rocky slopes, often where disturbed.

Distribution

Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; south-central Washington to eastern Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona, east to North Dakota,, Iowa, and Louisiana; introduced in California and the eastern U.S., South America, Asia, and Australia.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Origin

Introduced from the central U.S.

Conservation status

Not of concern

Sibling taxa