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Photo is of parent taxon

California evening primrose

Habit Herbs perennial, densely strigillose and villous; from a taproot, lateral roots producing adventitious shoots.
Stems

ascending to decumbent, unbranched or branched, new rosettes not forming at branch apex, 10–40 cm.

Leaves

blade oblong to oblanceolate or spatulate, margins usually conspicuously dentate to pinnatifid, rarely some or all entire or weakly dentate.

Flowers

floral tube 25–35 mm;

sepals 15–30 mm;

petals 25–35(–40) mm.

Capsules

20–80 mm.

2n

= 14.

Oenothera californica subsp. avita

Phenology Flowering (Apr–)May–Jul.
Habitat Sandy-gravelly flats, desert scrub, Joshua tree woodlands, oak woodlands, pinyon-juniper or pine woodlands.
Elevation 800–2500 m. (2600–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies avita occurs in southeastern California (south of areas just north of Bishop) mostly to the east of subsp. californica, eastward to northwestern Arizona, southern half of Nevada, and southwestern Utah. Some populations in the mountains of San Diego County, California, and northern Baja California (Sierra de San Pedro Mártir) appear to fit within subsp. avita (J. Rebman, pers. comm.).

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

Source FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Anogra > Oenothera californica
Sibling taxa
O. californica subsp. californica, O. californica subsp. eurekensis
Synonyms O. avita, O. californica var. avita
Name authority W. M. Klein: Aliso 5: 179. (1962)
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