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Colorado beeblossom

Habit Herbs monocarpic perennial, strigillose proximally, short-hirtellous and strigillose distally, leaves sometimes glabrate; from stout, fleshy taproot. Herbs perennial or sometimes annual, glabrate to strigillose throughout; from a stout taproot.
Stems

1–few-branched from base, 50–80(–100) cm.

1–several, ascending to erect, unbranched to densely branched, 15–70 cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 4–18 × 1.5–4 cm, blade very narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate;

cauline 5–13 × 1–4 cm, blade narrowly elliptic, narrowly lanceolate, or narrowly oblanceolate, margins subentire or repand-denticulate.

1–3.5 × 0.1–0.7 cm, fascicles of small leaves 0.2–2.5 cm present in non-flowering axils;

petiole 0 cm;

blade narrowly lanceolate, base acute-attenuate, margins entire or obscurely and sparsely serrulate, not undulate, apex acute.

Flowers

4-merous, zygomorphic, opening at sunset;

floral tube 8–12 mm;

sepals 9.5–13 mm;

petals white, fading pink, rhombic-obovate, 7–12 mm;

filaments 6.5–9 mm, anthers 2.5–4 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 19–25 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

usually 1 per stem opening per day at sunset;

buds with free tips 2–9(–12) mm;

floral tube (15–)30–60(–70) mm, funnelform in distal 1/2 or less;

sepals 10–25 mm;

petals yellow, fading pale pink or pale purple, 10–20 mm;

filaments 4–12 mm, anthers 6–10 mm, pollen 85–100% fertile;

style 35–70(–80) mm, stigma yellow, quadrangular, usually exserted beyond anthers.

Capsules

ellipsoid or ovoid, sharply 4-angled, with fairly deep furrows alternating with angles, 6–8.5 × 2–3 mm;

sessile.

10–50 × 1.5–4 mm, somewhat papery, promptly dehiscent in distal 1/2.

Seeds

1–4, yellowish to light brown, 2–3 × 1 mm.

obovoid, 2–3 mm.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Oenothera coloradensis

Oenothera toumeyi

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering (May–)Jul–Oct.
Habitat In wet meadow vegetation of North and South Platte River watersheds on high plains, sloping floodplains, drainage basins in heavy soil. Local and uncommon on shaded, rocky slopes or disturbed areas, pine-oak forests.
Elevation 1500–2000 m. (4900–6600 ft.) 1500–2600 m. (4900–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; NE; WY
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oenothera coloradensis is currently known from fewer than two dozen populations from southern Laramie and Platte counties in Wyoming, northern Weld County, Colorado, formerly near Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado, and in western Kimball County, Nebraska. It is federally listed as a threatened species in the United States. The primary threats are agricultural use of habitat, herbicide spraying to control weed species, and livestock trampling and grazing (see W. L. Wagner et al. 2013). Recent study by K. N. Krakos (unpubl.) has determined this species to be self-compatible. P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) described this species as glandular puberulent in inflorescence, which was repeated in the recent revised taxonomy (Wagner et al.); however, examination of specimens show that P. A. Munz (1965) was correct in describing the pubescence of the inflorescence as non-glandular.

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

Oenothera toumeyi occurs locally from the Chiricahua, Huachuca, and Santa Rita mountains in Cochise and Santa Cruz counties, Arizona, and the Mogollon Mountains in southern Catron County, New Mexico, south through northeastern Sonora in the Sierra Madre Occidental to west-central Chihuahua. H. F. Towner (1977) found that O. toumeyi is self-incompatible and vespertine.

(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. Gaura Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Calylophus > subsect. Salpingia
Sibling taxa
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. 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. speciosa, O. stricta, O. suffrutescens, O. suffulta, O. tetraptera, O. texensis, O. triangulata, O. triloba, O. tubicula, O. villosa, O. wolfii, O. xylocarpa
Synonyms Gaura coloradensis, G. neomexicana subsp. coloradensis, G. neomexicana var. coloradensis Galpinsia toumeyi, Calylophus hartwegii subsp. toumeyi, C. hartwegii var. toumeyi, C. toumeyi, O. hartwegii var. toumeyi
Name authority (Rydberg) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 211. (2007) (Small) Tidestrom: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 48: 41. (1935)
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