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lizard-tail, small-flower bee-blossom, small-flower gaura, velvet weed

little evening-primrose, perennial evening-primrose, perennial sundrops, small sundrops

Habit Herbs annual, strigillose, glandular puberulent, and long-villous; from heavy taproot, 2–4 cm diam. Herbs perennial, sparsely to moderately strigillose, glandular puberulent distally; from fibrous roots.
Stems

erect, unbranched or many-branched distally, (20–)30–200(–300) cm.

usually erect to slightly decumbent, unbranched to few-branched distally, (3–)15–30(–75) 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 2–4 × 0.2–1.2 cm, petiole (0.2–)0.5–1.2(–2.5) cm, blade oblanceolate to obovate;

cauline 3–7 × 0.2–1.2 cm, petiole 0.1–1 cm, blade oblanceolate to obovate, margins entire or weakly and remotely denticulate.

Inflorescences

relatively long, dense.

nodding, flowers in axils of distalmost few nodes.

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.

opening near sunrise, nearly unscented;

buds with free tips to 1 mm, connivent;

floral tube 3–10 mm;

sepals 2–4 mm;

petals bright yellow, fading pale yellow, or orangish yellow to pale pink, 5–10 mm;

filaments 3–4 mm, anthers 1–2 mm, pollen 40–70% fertile;

style 3–4 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.

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.

clavate, 4-angled or narrowly 4-winged, 5–10 × 2–3 mm, stipe 1–2 mm;

sessile.

Seeds

3 or 4, reddish brown, 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm.

0.7–0.8 × 0.2–0.3 mm.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Oenothera curtiflora

Oenothera perennis

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)Apr–Oct. Flowering May–Jul(–Aug).
Habitat Rocky prairie slopes, woodlands, along streams, roadsides, disturbed areas. Fields, open woods, boggy areas.
Elevation 10–2800 m. (0–9200 ft.) (0–)150–900(–1400) m. ((0–)500–3000(–4600) ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
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]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; DC; DE; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NE; NH; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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 perennis, a PTH species that forms a ring of 14 chromosomes in meiosis, is self-compatible and autogamous (G. B. Straley 1977). It is disjunct in Nebraska from the rest of its range in eastern North America, occurring in Garfield, Holt, and Rock counties (R. Kaul, pers. comm.). It is introduced in British Columbia.

Oenotherapumila Linnaeus is an illegitimate substitution based on O. perennis Linnaeus, while Kneiffia michauxii Spach is an illegitimate substitution based O. pumila, as is K. pumila Spach, and the three pertain here.

(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. Kneiffia
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. coryi, 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. 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 parviflora, G. australis, G. hirsuta, G. micrantha, G. parviflora var. lachnocarpa, Schizocarya micrantha Kneiffia chrysantha, K. depauperata, K. perennis, O. chrysantha, O. perennis var. rectipilis, O. pumila var. chrysantha, O. pumila var. minima, O. pumila var. pusilla, O. pumila var. rectipilis, O. pusilla
Name authority W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 211. (2007) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 998. (1759)
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