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Texas beeblossom

spach'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 annual, densely strigillose; from a sparsely branched taproot.
Stems

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

erect, usually unbranched or with few ascending branches, 10–30(–45) 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, basal 2–5 × 0.5–1.5 cm, petiole 0.5–2 cm, blade oblanceolate to elliptic, margins subentire;

cauline 3–6 × 0.2–0.6 cm, petiole 0.2–0.6(–1.5) cm, blade narrowly lanceolate to linear, margins subentire.

Inflorescences

slender.

erect, flowers in leaf axils in distal 1/2 of plant.

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.

opening near sunrise;

buds with free tips to 1 mm, erect to spreading;

floral tube 4–10 mm;

sepals 4–8 mm;

petals pale yellow, fading pale pink, 5–14 mm;

filaments 3–7 mm, anthers 2–4 mm, pollen 85–100% fertile;

style 3–7 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers.

Capsules

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

broadly clavate, 4-angled, 5–15 × 3–5 mm, stipe 2–5 mm;

sessile.

Seeds

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

1 × 0.5 mm.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Oenothera calcicola

Oenothera spachiana

Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Dry limestone, gypsum, or caliche soil, slopes. Prairies, open roadsides, sandy places.
Elevation 400–1800(–2100) m. (1300–5900(–6900) ft.) 10–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; LA; MS; OK; TX
[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.)

G. B. Straley (1977) determined Oenothera spachiana to be self-compatible and autogamous. Collections outside the native range of O. spachiana have been made as a ballast weed in Camden County, New Jersey.

Oenothera drummondii (Spach) Walpers (1843), not Hooker (1834) is a later homonym and pertains here.

(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. Kneiffia
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. 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. 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 Blennoderma drummondii, Kneiffia spachiana, O. uncinata
Name authority (P. H. Raven & D. P. Gregory) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 211. (2007) Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 498. (1840)
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