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Texas beeblossom

Mexican evening primrose, pinkladies, showy 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 perennial, caulescent, glabrate to strigillose, usually also sparsely hirsute; from slender taproot and spreading by rhizomes.
Stems

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

many, erect, 4–60 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 2–9 × 0.3–3.2 cm, blade oblanceolate to obovate, margins subentire or sinuate-pinnatifid;

cauline 1–10 × 0.3–3.5 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to ovate, margins subentire or serrulate to sinuate-pinnatifid.

Inflorescences

slender.

sharply nodding.

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.

1–3 opening per day near sunrise in some populations, near sunset in others;

buds with free tips 0–4 mm;

floral tube 12–25 mm;

sepals 15–50 mm;

petals pink to rose, fading darker, or white, fading pink, 15–45 mm;

filaments 10–22 mm, anthers 6–16 mm, pollen 85–100% fertile;

style 20–55 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.

narrowly obovoid to narrowly rhombic-ellipsoid, angled, 10–25 × 3.5–6 mm, apex attenuate to a sterile beak, valve midrib prominent, proximal stipe cylindrical, not tapering to base, (4–)8–15 mm;

sessile.

Seeds

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

narrowly obovoid, 1–1.2 × 0.5–0.6 mm.

2n

= 14.

= 14, 28, 42.

Oenothera calcicola

Oenothera speciosa

Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering (Feb–)Apr–Jul(–Oct).
Habitat Dry limestone, gypsum, or caliche soil, slopes. Grasslands, glades, open woodlands, disturbed places, pastures, rail­roads, roadsides, loamy or sandy soil, sometimes clay.
Elevation 400–1800(–2100) m. (1300–5900(–6900) ft.) 10–900 m. (0–3000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; IA; IL; IN; KS; LA; MO; NE; NM; OK; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas)
[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 speciosa is widely cultivated worldwide for its showy flowers and easy maintenance. It is not known to be definitely naturalized, but tends to persist or become adventive due to its aggressive vegetative reproduction.

(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. Hartmannia
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. spachiana, 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 Hartmannia berlandieri, H. reverchonii, O. berlandieri, O. delessertiana, O. hirsuta, O. obtusifolia, O. shimekii, O. spachii, O. speciosa var. berlandieri, O. speciosa var. childsii, O. tetraptera var. childsii, Xylopleurum berlandieri, X. drummondii, X. hirsutum, X. obtusifolium, X. speciosum
Name authority (P. H. Raven & D. P. Gregory) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 211. (2007) Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 2: 119. (1821)
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