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Texas beeblossom

Engelmann's evening-primrose

Habit Herbs perennial, clumped, usually sparsely strigillose, rarely glabrate or sparsely villous, hairs erect, sometimes sparsely glandular puberulent distally; from twisted, woody rootstock. Herbs winter-annual, conspicuously villous throughout, also strigillose on leaves and distal parts; from a taproot.
Stems

erect, branched below and just above ground, branched also proximal to inflorescences, (40–)60–250 cm.

erect, unbranched or with few, spreading branches, 30–50(–80) cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 3–13 × 0.6–2.5 cm, blade spatulate to oblanceolate, cauline (1–)2.5–12 × 0.1–1 cm, blade linear to narrowly oblanceolate, margins slightly to conspicuously sinuate-dentate.

in a basal rosette and cauline, rosette weakly developed or absent, at least during flowering, (1–)2–6(–8) × 1–2(–3) cm;

sessile;

blade lanceolate to oblong lanceolate, proximal ones sometimes oblanceolate, margins coarsely repand-dentate or -pinnatifid.

Inflorescences

slender.

Flowers

4-merous, zygomorphic, opening near sunset;

floral tube 3–9 mm;

sepals 6–12 mm;

petals white, fading dark pink to red, slightly unequal, elliptic-obovate, 7–11 mm;

stamens presented in lower 1/2 of flower, filaments 3–7 mm, anthers 2.5–5 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 9.5–19 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

1–several opening per day near sunset;

buds nodding, weakly quadrangular, without free tips;

floral tube 20–30 mm;

sepals 13–21 mm, not spotted or with scattered small, maroon spots;

petals white, fading pink, broadly obovate or obcordate, 15–30 mm;

filaments 14–16 mm, anthers 6–8 mm;

style 40–50 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

lanceoloid to narrowly ovoid, narrowly 4-winged, 7–12 × 1.5–2.5 mm, tapered to a sterile stipe 2–5 mm.

widely spreading, woody in age, straight or slightly curved, cylindrical, obtusely 4-angled, especially toward base, tapering gradually from base to apex, 30–60 × 2–3 mm;

sessile.

Seeds

(2 or)3 or 4(or 5), light brown or reddish brown, 1.5–2.5 × 0.8–1.3 mm.

numerous, in 1 row per locule, brown, narrowly obovoid, 1–1.5 mm.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Oenothera calcicola

Oenothera engelmannii

Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering Apr–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat Dry limestone, gypsum, or caliche soil, slopes. Sandy prairies, dunes, disturbed areas, roadsides.
Elevation 400–1800(–2100) m. (1300–5900(–6900) ft.) 500–1300 m. (1600–4300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; KS; NM; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oenothera calcicola occurs at mostly higher elevations and more montane areas than other species of subsect. Stipogaura, from the southern Trans-Pecos and Edwards Plateau regions of Texas southward into northern Mexico. P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) determined O. calcicola to be self-incompatible. It is known to form hybrids with O. suffrutescens.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Oenothera engelmannii is self-incompatible (W. L. Wagner et al. 2007; K. E. Theiss et al. 2010). It has a relatively narrow distribution in sandy areas of eastern New Mexico and western Texas, extending to southeastern Colorado, western Oklahoma, and southwestern Kansas. The flower size seems to vary, with larger flowers in eastern New Mexico and considerably smaller flowers in the eastern part of its range.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Gaura > subsect. Stipogaura Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Anogra
Sibling taxa
O. acutissima, O. albicaulis, O. argillicola, O. arida, O. arizonica, O. biennis, O. boquillensis, O. brachycarpa, O. californica, O. canescens, O. capillifolia, O. cavernae, O. cespitosa, O. cinerea, O. clelandii, O. coloradensis, O. cordata, O. coronopifolia, O. coryi, O. curtiflora, O. curtissii, O. deltoides, O. demareei, O. dodgeniana, O. drummondii, O. elata, O. engelmannii, O. falfurriae, O. filiformis, O. filipes, O. flava, O. fruticosa, O. gaura, O. gayleana, O. glaucifolia, O. glazioviana, O. grandiflora, O. grandis, O. harringtonii, O. hartwegii, O. havardii, O. heterophylla, O. hispida, O. howardii, O. humifusa, O. jamesii, O. kunthiana, O. laciniata, O. lavandulifolia, O. lindheimeri, O. linifolia, O. longissima, O. macrocarpa, O. mckelveyae, O. mexicana, O. nealleyi, O. neomexicana, O. nutans, O. nuttallii, O. oakesiana, O. organensis, O. pallida, O. parviflora, O. patriciae, O. perennis, O. pilosella, O. platanorum, O. podocarpa, O. primiveris, O. psammophila, O. pubescens, O. rhombipetala, O. riparia, O. rosea, O. serrulata, O. sessilis, O. simulans, O. sinuosa, O. spachiana, O. speciosa, O. stricta, O. suffrutescens, O. suffulta, O. tetraptera, O. texensis, O. toumeyi, O. triangulata, O. triloba, O. tubicula, O. villosa, O. wolfii, O. xylocarpa
O. acutissima, O. albicaulis, O. argillicola, O. arida, O. arizonica, O. biennis, O. boquillensis, O. brachycarpa, O. calcicola, O. californica, O. canescens, O. capillifolia, O. cavernae, O. cespitosa, O. cinerea, O. clelandii, O. coloradensis, O. cordata, O. coronopifolia, O. coryi, O. curtiflora, O. curtissii, O. deltoides, O. demareei, O. dodgeniana, O. drummondii, O. elata, O. falfurriae, O. filiformis, O. filipes, O. flava, O. fruticosa, O. gaura, O. gayleana, O. glaucifolia, O. glazioviana, O. grandiflora, O. grandis, O. harringtonii, O. hartwegii, O. havardii, O. heterophylla, O. hispida, O. howardii, O. humifusa, O. jamesii, O. kunthiana, O. laciniata, O. lavandulifolia, O. lindheimeri, O. linifolia, O. longissima, O. macrocarpa, O. mckelveyae, O. mexicana, O. nealleyi, O. neomexicana, O. nutans, O. nuttallii, O. oakesiana, O. organensis, O. pallida, O. parviflora, O. patriciae, O. perennis, O. pilosella, O. platanorum, O. podocarpa, O. primiveris, O. psammophila, O. pubescens, O. rhombipetala, O. riparia, O. rosea, O. serrulata, O. sessilis, O. simulans, O. sinuosa, O. spachiana, O. speciosa, O. stricta, O. suffrutescens, O. suffulta, O. tetraptera, O. texensis, O. toumeyi, O. triangulata, O. triloba, O. tubicula, O. villosa, O. wolfii, O. xylocarpa
Synonyms Gaura calcicola Anogra pallida var. engelmannii, A. engelmannii
Name authority (P. H. Raven & D. P. Gregory) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 211. (2007) (Small) Munz: Amer. J. Bot. 18: 316. (1931) — (as engelmanni)
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