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

Curtiss' evening primrose

Habit Herbs biennial or short-lived perennial, densely to sparsely strigillose, sometimes also sparsely glandular puberulent distally. Herbs annual, villous proximally, glabrate, strigillose and/or glandular puberulent distally, leaves glabrate to densely villous, glabrate in age; from stout taproot.
Stems

sometimes with lateral branches arisingobliquely from rosette, 30–80 cm.

ascending to erect, unbranched or well-branched at base and distally, 15–100 cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 7–17 × 0.5–1.5 cm, cauline 2–8 × 0.5–1.5 cm;

blade narrowly oblanceolate, gradually narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblong distally, margins lobed to remotely dentate or subentire;

bracts slightly longer than capsule they subtend.

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 3–15 × 0.5–1 cm, blade lyrate;

cauline 1–9 × 0.1–0.8 cm, blade linear to very narrowly elliptic or narrowly lanceolate, margins sinuate-dentate to subentire.

Inflorescences

open, lax, without lateral branches, mature buds usually not overtopping spike apex.

Flowers

1 or 2 per spike opening per day near sunset;

buds erect, with free tips erect to spreading, 0.3–0.8 mm;

floral tube slightly curved upward to straight, 23–37 mm;

sepals 7–13 mm;

petals yellow, broadly elliptic to rhombic-ovate, 8–17 mm;

filaments 6–10 mm, anthers 1.5–4 mm, pollen ca. 50% fertile;

style 30–45 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.

4-merous, zygomorphic, opening at sunset;

floral tube 6–10 mm;

sepals 6–12 mm;

petals white, fading pink to red, narrowly obovate, 5.5–9.5 mm, short-clawed;

filaments 4–6 mm, anthers 2–3 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 11–19 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

narrowly lanceoloid, 10–25 ×2–3 mm.

ellipsoid or narrowly obovoid, narrowly 4-winged, furrowed between wings, 6–8 × 2–3 mm, narrowed at base, stipe 0 mm;

sessile.

Seeds

brown, sometimes flecked with darkred spots, ellipsoid, 1–1.3 × 0.5–0.7 mm.

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

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Oenothera curtissii

Oenothera podocarpa

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering (May–)Jun–Oct.
Habitat Dry places, pine-oak woods, fields, roadsides, sandy soil. Disturbed sites, sandy washes, slopes, grasslands, meadows, pinyon-juniper or ponderosa pine woodlands, on volcanic cinders.
Elevation 0–60 m. (0–200 ft.) 700–2800 m. (2300–9200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; SC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora)
Discussion

Oenothera curtissii is a PTH species and forms a ring of 14 chromosomes in meiosis, and is self-compatible and autogamous (W. Dietrich and W. L. Wagner 1988). It is known only from northern Florida, adjacent southern Georgia and southeastern Alabama, and one disjunct locality in South Carolina (Allendale County).

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

Oenothera podocarpa occurs in Arizona from eastern Mohave County south through the mountains of central Arizona to eastern Pima County and the southwestern quarter of New Mexico, and in Mexico southward in the Sierra Madre Occidental to eastern Sonora and throughout the western halves of Chihuahua and Durango. P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) determined O. podocarpa to be self-compatible and primarily autogamous.

(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. Oenothera > subsect. Candela Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Gaura > subsect. Gaura
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. curtiflora, 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. 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 O. heterophylla var. curtissii Gaura podocarpa, G. brassicacea, G. glandulosa, G. gracilis, G. hexandra subsp. gracilis, G. strigillosa, O. hexandra subsp. gracilis
Name authority Small: Fl. S.E. U.S. ed. 2, 1353. (1913) (Wooton & Standley) Krakos & W. L. Wagner: PhytoKeys 28: 68. (2013)
Web links