Burke: Oenothera deltoides vs. Oenothera pallida

	Oenothera deltoides	Oenothera pallida
		pale evening-primrose
Habit		Rhizomatous perennial with whitish bark, the stems 1-5 dm. tall, simple or freely-branched basally, very leafy, glabrous or grayish with appressed hairs.
Leaves		Leaves alternate, liner to liner-lanceolate, 2-6 cm. long and up to 5 mm. broad, entire to serrate, occasionally with 1 or more basal lobes, narrowed to broad petioles 5-15 mm. long.
Flowers		Flowers fragrant, in leafy spikes, the buds nodding; calyx tube 1.5-3.5 cm. long, pink to purplish, the 4 lobes reflexed, 1-4 cm. long, fused and turned to one side; petals 1.5-3 cm. long, white, aging pinkish, obovate; stamens 8, equal to the petals; stigma with 4 linear lobes 4-6 mm. long; ovary inferior, 4-celled.
Fruits		Capsule liner, 2-3 mm. thick at the base, tapering to the tip, 1.5-3.5 cm. long, arched.

	Oenothera deltoides	Oenothera pallida
Flowering time		May-July
Habitat		Dry, sandy or gravelly soil, commonly on dunes at low elevations.
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Arizona, east to the Rocky Mountains and Texas. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin		Native
Conservation status		Not of concern
Sibling taxa	O. biennis, O. cespitosa, O. curtiflora, O. elata, O. flava, O. glazioviana, O. pallida, O. suffrutescens	O. biennis, O. cespitosa, O. curtiflora, O. elata, O. flava, O. glazioviana, O. suffrutescens
Subordinate taxa		O. pallida ssp. pallida
Web links	Local floras: CA, OR 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, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Oenothera deltoides

Oenothera pallida

pale evening-primrose

Habit

Rhizomatous perennial with whitish bark, the stems 1-5 dm. tall, simple or freely-branched basally, very leafy, glabrous or grayish with appressed hairs.

Leaves

Leaves alternate, liner to liner-lanceolate, 2-6 cm. long and up to 5 mm. broad, entire to serrate, occasionally with 1 or more basal lobes, narrowed to broad petioles 5-15 mm. long.

Flowers

Flowers fragrant, in leafy spikes, the buds nodding;

calyx tube 1.5-3.5 cm. long, pink to purplish, the 4 lobes reflexed, 1-4 cm. long, fused and turned to one side;

petals 1.5-3 cm. long, white, aging pinkish, obovate;

stamens 8, equal to the petals;

stigma with 4 linear lobes 4-6 mm. long;

ovary inferior, 4-celled.

Fruits

Capsule liner, 2-3 mm. thick at the base, tapering to the tip, 1.5-3.5 cm. long, arched.