Burke: Oenothera curtiflora vs. Oenothera suffrutescens

	Oenothera curtiflora	Oenothera suffrutescens
	small-flowered gaura, velvet weed, velvetweed	scarlet beeblossom
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.	Glabrous to stiff-hairy perennial, the stems several, decumbent, simple or freely-branched, 2-6 dm. tall.
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.	Leaves alternate, many, sessile, linear-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 1-3 cm. long, with a few shallow teeth, reduced upward.
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.	Inflorescence of many-flowered spikes 5-20 cm. long, with bracts 3-9 mm. long; calyx tube slender, 5-9 mm. long, with 4 distinct, reflexed lobes; petals 4, red, pink or nearly white, 3-6 mm. long including the narrow claw, the blade oval to rhombic; stamens 8, filaments 3-5 mm. long, with tiny, linear scales at the base; style slightly longer than the stamens; stigma with 4 short, oval lobes from a cup-like base; ovary inferior, 4-celled.
Fruits	Fruit hardened, 6-10 mm. long, spindle-shaped, glabrous, 4-angled by not winged.	Fruit hardened, 5-9 mm. long, somewhat spindle-shaped, sharply 4-angled, winged on the upper half.

	Oenothera curtiflora	Oenothera suffrutescens
Flowering time	June-September	June - August
Habitat	Meadows, stream banks, roadsides, sandy or rocky slopes, often where disturbed.	Dry, open slopes, chiefly in the sagebrush area.
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]	Reported from Bingen, Washington - unclear as to whether truly native or a garden escape; chiefly east of the Rockies, but crossing into western Montana. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Introduced from the central U.S.	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	O. biennis, O. cespitosa, O. elata, O. flava, O. glazioviana, O. pallida, O. suffrutescens	O. biennis, O. cespitosa, O. curtiflora, O. elata, O. flava, O. glazioviana, O. pallida
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	Local floras: BC, CA, 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 suffrutescens

small-flowered gaura, velvet weed, velvetweed

scarlet beeblossom

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.

Glabrous to stiff-hairy perennial, the stems several, decumbent, simple or freely-branched, 2-6 dm. tall.

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.

Leaves alternate, many, sessile, linear-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 1-3 cm. long, with a few shallow teeth, reduced upward.

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.

Inflorescence of many-flowered spikes 5-20 cm. long, with bracts 3-9 mm. long;

calyx tube slender, 5-9 mm. long, with 4 distinct, reflexed lobes;

petals 4, red, pink or nearly white, 3-6 mm. long including the narrow claw, the blade oval to rhombic;

stamens 8, filaments 3-5 mm. long, with tiny, linear scales at the base;

style slightly longer than the stamens;

stigma with 4 short, oval lobes from a cup-like base;

ovary inferior, 4-celled.

Fruits

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

Fruit hardened, 5-9 mm. long, somewhat spindle-shaped, sharply 4-angled, winged on the upper half.

Oenothera curtiflora

Oenothera suffrutescens

Flowering time

June-September

June - August

Habitat

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

Dry, open slopes, chiefly in the sagebrush area.

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]

Reported from Bingen, Washington - unclear as to whether truly native or a garden escape; chiefly east of the Rockies, but crossing into western Montana.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Origin

Introduced from the central U.S.

Native

Conservation status

Not of concern

Sibling taxa