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El Paso evening primrose

Mckelvey's beeblossom

Habit Herbs acaulescent or caulescent, densely strigillose and glandular puberulent distally; from a taproot. Herbs perennial, clumped, long-villous, more sparsely so distally, hairs erect, 2–4 mm, also strigillose, sometimes glabrate distally or also sparsely glandular puberulent; from twisted, woody rootstock.
Stems

densely leafy, 4–20 cm.

ascending, branched below or just above ground, branched also proximal to inflorescences, 30–70(–120) cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette, sometimes also cauline, 5–16 × (0.2–)0.3–0.5(–0.7) cm;

petiole 0.6–3.5 cm;

blade linear to narrowly lanceolate, margins entire or sometimes proximal 1/2 of blade remotely lobed, apex long-attenuate, acute to rounded.

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 3–17 × 0.8–2 cm, blade oblanceolate, cauline 1–6.5 × 0.1–1.5 cm, sessile, blade narrowly oblanceolate to elliptic, margins conspicuously sinuate-dentate, often undulate.

Inflorescences

slender.

Flowers

usually 1–3, rarely more, opening per day near sunset, weakly scented;

buds with unequal free tips 0.7–1.2 mm;

floral tube (55–)75–100(–125) mm;

sepals 34–40 mm;

petals lemon-yellow, fading orange, drying lavender to purple, broadly obovate, 35–43 mm, sometimes with terminal tooth;

filaments 17–25 mm, anthers 14–17 mm;

style (85–)105–135(–143) mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

4-merous, zygomorphic, opening near sunset;

floral tube 2–3.5 mm;

sepals 6–12 mm;

petals white, fading dark pink to red, slightly unequal, elliptic-obovate, 7–11 mm, long-clawed;

stamens presented in lower 1/2 of flower, filaments 5–9 mm, lanate at very base, anthers 2–4 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 9–16 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

leathery, lanceoloid to ovoid, winged, wings 4–6 mm wide, body 25–30 × 8 mm, dehiscent 1/4–1/3 their length;

pedicel 1–2(–3) mm.

reflexed, lanceoloid to narrowly ovoid, narrowly 4-winged, 8–19 × 1.5–2 mm, tapering to a sterile stipe 3–9 mm.

Seeds

numerous, usually in 2 distinct rows per locule, often reduced to 1 row near apex, rarely 1 row throughout, obovoid to subcuboid, 2.5–4 × 2.5–3.5 mm.

(1 or)2–4, 2–3 × 1 mm, yellowish to reddish brown.

2n

= 42.

= 14.

Oenothera coryi

Oenothera mckelveyae

Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Open grasslands, disturbed areas. Sandy soil.
Elevation 300–1000 m. (1000–3300 ft.) 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oenothera coryi is known only from Baylor, Callahan, Knox, Nolan, Taylor, and Throckmorton counties in north-central Texas and Crosby and Garza counties in the Texas Panhandle.

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

Oenothera mckelveyae, on the Rio Grande Plain, is found in an area bounded by from Dimmit and LaSalle counties east to Karnes and Refugio counties in the north, southward through south Texas, extending to northeastern Tamaulipas and adjacent Nuevo León. P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) found Oenothera mckelveyae to be self-incompatible.

(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. Megapterium Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Gaura > subsect. Stipogaura
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. coronopifolia, 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. 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 Gaura villosa var. mckelveyae, Gaura mckelveyae
Name authority W. L. Wagner: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 73: 475. (1986) (Munz) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 213. (2007)
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