The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

crownleaf evening primrose

Habit Herbs perennial, strigillose, usually also hirsute; from a taproot, lateral roots producing adventitious shoots. Herbs perennial, spreading by rhizomes (forming colonies), strigillose, often also villous; from taproot.
Stems

ascending to erect, 1–several from base, these unbranched to well-branched, 10–60 cm.

ascending to decumbent, several-branched from base, usually also irregularly branched distally, sometimes with a single, unbranched stem, 20–60(–120) cm.

Leaves

in a weakly developed basal rosette and cauline, 2–7 × 0.2–1.5 cm, axillary fascicles of reduced leaves often present;

blade oblanceolate to oblong, margins usually pinnatifid, sometimes proximal ones coarsely few-toothed.

in a basal rosette and cauline, 0.5–7.5(–9.5) × 0.1–2.2 cm, blade narrowly lanceolate to elliptic, margins subentire or shallowly sinuate-dentate.

Flowers

1–3 opening per day near sunset;

buds nodding, weakly quadrangular, without free tips;

floral tube 10–25 mm, mouth conspicuously pubescent, closed with straight, white hairs, 1–2 mm;

sepals 10–20 mm;

petals white, fading pink, ovate or shallowly obcordate, 10–15(–20) mm;

filaments 10–15 mm, anthers 4–7 mm;

style 17–42 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

4-merous, zygomorphic, opening near sunset;

floral tube 4–14 mm;

sepals 7–11(–14) mm;

petals white, fading red, slightly unequal, elliptic, 6–10 mm, clawed;

filaments 4–8.5 mm, anthers 3–6 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 12–26 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

ascending to erect, straight, fusiform, weakly 4-angled, 10–20 × 3–5 mm, dehiscent 1/2 their length;

sessile.

erect, pyramidal in distal 1/2, conspicuously bulging at base of distal pyramidal part, strongly 4-angled, conspicuously bulging at base, abruptly constricted to terete proximal part, 7–13 × 3–5 mm;

sessile.

Seeds

in 2 rows per locule, ellipsoid to subglobose, 1.5–2 × 1.2–1.5 mm, surface regularly pitted, pits in longitudinal lines.

(2 or)3 or 4(–8), reddish brown, 2–2.5 × 1–1.3 mm.

2n

= 14, 28.

= 28.

Oenothera coronopifolia

Oenothera hispida

Phenology Flowering (Mar–)Jun–Aug(–Sep). Flowering May–Jul(–Nov).
Habitat Dry, open sites, grassy meadows, slopes, along drainages, foothills and mountains. Sandy loam.
Elevation 1500–3000 m. (4900–9800 ft.) 60–1900 m. (200–6200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; NE; NM; SD; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; CA; GA; TX; c Mexico
Discussion

Oenothera coronopifolia apparently has both self-incompatible and self-compatible populations (P. H. Raven 1979; W. L. Wagner et al. 2007; K. E. Theiss et al. 2010).

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

Oenothera hispida is native across the eastern half of Texas, south through Mexico to Oaxaca and Puebla; it is naturalized in Sevier County, Arkansas, coastal southern California, and Glynn County Georgia.

P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) reported Oenothera hispida to be self-incompatible. It occasionally forms hybrids with O. suffrutescens.

(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. Kleinia Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Gaura > subsect. Xenogaura
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. coloradensis, O. cordata, 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. 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
Synonyms Anogra coronopifolia Gaura hispida, G. crispa, G. drummondii, G. roemeriana, O. xenogaura, Schizocarya crispa, S. drummondii
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 495. (1840) (Bentham) W. L. Wagner, Hoch & Zarucchi: PhytoKeys 50: 26. (2015)
Web links