Oenothera curtiflora |
Oenothera gaura |
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lizard-tail, small-flower bee-blossom, small-flower gaura, velvet weed |
biennial bee-blossom |
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Habit | Herbs annual, strigillose, glandular puberulent, and long-villous; from heavy taproot, 2–4 cm diam. | Herbs usually robust winter-annual, sometimes biennial, usually moderately to densely villous, rarely short-hirtellous, also glandular puberulent; from fleshy taproot. |
Stems | erect, unbranched or many-branched distally, (20–)30–200(–300) cm. |
usually well-branched distal to base, 50–180 cm. |
Leaves | in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 4–15 × 1.5–3 cm, petiole 0–1.8 cm, blade broadly oblanceolate, margins sinuate-dentate to dentate; cauline 2–13 × 0.5–5 cm, petiole 0–2 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, margins sinuate-dentate to dentate. |
in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 8–20 × 1.5–3 cm, blade oblanceolate, margins irregularly toothed to lobed; cauline 1.5–12 × 0.5–3 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic or lanceolate, margins subentire or undulate-denticulate. |
Inflorescences | relatively long, dense. |
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Flowers | 4-merous, nearly actinomorphic, opening near sunset; floral tube 1.5–5 mm; sepals 2–3.5 mm; petals white, fading pale to dark pink, slightly unequal, oblong-obovate to elliptic-oblanceolate, 1.5–3 mm, abruptly clawed; filaments 1.5–3 mm, anthers 0.5–1 mm, pollen 85–100% fertile; style 3–9 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis. |
4-merous, zygomorphic, opening at sunset; floral tube 6–13 mm; sepals 5–13 mm; petals white, fading pink to red, narrowly elliptic-obovate, 6–12 mm; filaments 5–10 mm, anthers 2–4 mm, pollen 35–65% fertile; style 12–15 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers. |
Capsules | fusiform, terete, weakly angled in distal 1/3, angles becoming broad and rounded in proximal part, 5–11 × 1.5–3 mm, tapering abruptly toward base; sessile. |
ellipsoid, 4-angled, 5–9 × 2–3 mm; sessile. |
Seeds | 3 or 4, reddish brown, 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm. |
3–6, light to reddish brown, 2–2.5 × 1–1.3 mm. |
2n | = 14. |
= 14. |
Oenothera curtiflora |
Oenothera gaura |
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Phenology | Flowering (Feb–)Apr–Oct. | Flowering Jun–Oct. |
Habitat | Rocky prairie slopes, woodlands, along streams, roadsides, disturbed areas. | Open woods, fields, along streams, disturbed sites, ditch banks, roadsides, railway embankments. |
Elevation | 10–2800 m. (0–9200 ft.) | 100–600 m. (300–2000 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MN; MO; MT; NE; NM; NV; OK; OR; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; WY; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Zacatecas) [Introduced in South America (Argentina), Asia (China, Japan), Australia]
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CT; DC; DE; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; MI; MN; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON; QC
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Discussion | Oenothera curtiflora is self-compatible and autogamous (P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory 1972[1973]). Sometimes it is apparently a biennial. The species is native to grassland regions and open areas across much of interior North America. The full extent of its indigenous range is not clear and collections from the eastern half of the United States (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Tennessee) and California may be more recent introductions. Gaura mollis Nuttall ex Torrey 1827 is an isonym of G. mollis E. James 1822, a suppressed name. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Oenothera gaura is a PTH species and forms a ring of 14 chromosomes in meiosis. It is self-compatible and autogamous (P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory 1972[1973]), and may have been derived from O. filiformis. (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. Schizocarya | Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Gaura > subsect. Gaura |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Gaura parviflora, G. australis, G. hirsuta, G. micrantha, G. parviflora var. lachnocarpa, Schizocarya micrantha | Gaura biennis |
Name authority | W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 211. (2007) | W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 212. (2007) |
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