Oenothera capillifolia
Oenothera nealleyi
1–many, weakly decumbent to ascending or erect, unbranched to moderately branched, (10–)25–80 cm.
usually well-branched, 20–70(–100) cm.
1–9 × (0.1–)0.3–1 cm, sometimes fascicles of small leaves to 2 cm present in non-flowering axils;
petiole 0–0.6 cm;
blade linear to narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, often folded lengthwise, usually not much reduced distally, proximalmost leaves sometimes spatulate, base attenuate, margins subentire or serrulate or spinulose-serrate, apex acute.
in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 3.5–9 × 0.5–1.5 cm, blade lyrate;
cauline 1.5–7 × 0.1–0.6 cm, blade narrowly lanceolate to linear, margins sinuate-dentate, undulate.
opening at sunrise;
buds with free tips 0–4 mm;
floral tube 5–20 mm;
sepals 4–12 mm, midribs keeled;
petals yellow, fading orangish to purplish, 6–25 mm; antisepalous filaments 2–8 mm, antipetalous filaments 1–4 mm, anthers 2–7 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;
style 9–30 mm, stigma sometimes blue-black, discoid to quadrangular, exserted beyond anthers.
4-merous, zygomorphic, opening at sunset;
floral tube 10–20 mm;
sepals 11–21 mm;
petals white, fading pink to red, elliptic to elliptic-obovate, 10–15 mm;
filaments 8–13 mm, anthers 2–6 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;
style 22–36 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.
10–35 × 1–2 mm, hard, dehiscent 1/2 their length, often tardily dehiscent throughout their length.
ellipsoid or ovoid, narrowly 4-winged, furrowed between angles, 4.5–8 × 2–5 mm, stipe 0.2–2.2 mm;
sessile.
obovoid, 1–1.8 mm, sharply angled, apex truncate.
3 or 4 (or 5), yellowish to light brown, 2–3(–4) × 1 mm.
= 14.
Oenothera capillifolia
Oenothera nealleyi
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
Oenothera capillifolia is self-incompatible (H. F. Towner 1977).
Oenothera berlandieri (Spach) Steudel 1841, not D. Dietrich 1840, is superfluous and cannot be used in Oenothera when transferred from Calylophus, and pertains here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Oenothera nealleyi is restricted to an area from trans-Pecos Texas and northern Coahuila, Mexico, north to Bernalillo and Torrance counties, New Mexico. P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) considered O. nealleyi to represent an unevenly intergrading entity with O. suffulta based on merging of distinguishing characteristics. The known intermediates occur in Terrell County, Texas, and were previously described as Gaura suffulta var. terrellensis Munz, but until new data on its status are available, we include this name with O. nealleyi. The molecular data (K. N. Krakos, unpubl.) suggest that O. nealleyi is not as closely related to O. suffulta as suggested by Raven and Gregory, given the placement in the phylogeny and the difference in scent profiles for these two taxa. Oenothera suffulta is a member of a strongly supported clade that also includes O. patriciae and O. triangulata, while O. nealleyi is a member of a polytomy that consists of other species of subsect. Gaura, with the O. suffulta—O. triangulata—O. patriciae clade sister to it (W. L. Wagner et al. 2013). Oenothera nealleyi has a strong sweet scent, whereas O. suffulta does not have a discernible scent (Wagner et al.). Raven and Gregory determined O. nealleyi to be self-incompatible.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Stems 1–several, ascending to erect, 30–80 cm; leaves 2.5–9 cm. | subsp. capillifolia |
1. Stems several–many, decumbent to ascending, (10–)25–40 cm; leaves 1–4 cm. | subsp. berlandieri |
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