Oenothera deltoides
Oenothera sect. Anogra
basket evening-primrose, birdcage evening primrose, desert lantern, devil's lantern, dune primrose, hairy evening primrose, lion-in-a-cage
central stem usually erect, usually thickened at base and spongy, branched or unbranched, branches few–several, slender, decumbent to ascending, from base, usually encircling central stem in older plants, 10–40(–100) cm.
decumbent to ascending or erect, unbranched or with short, lateral branches, epidermis white or pink, exfoliating proximally.
in a basal rosette and cauline, rosette usually well developed (except subsp. howellii), basal 5–25 × 1–5 cm, cauline 4–12(–18) × 0.5–4 cm;
petiole 1.5–8 cm;
blade rhombic-obovate, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, margins subentire, dentate, or pinnatifid.
basal and cauline, sometimes forming conspicuous basal rosette, sometimes this weakly developed or absent (at least during flowering), 1–13(–26) cm;
blade margins sinuate-dentate to pinnatifid, denticulate, subentire, or entire.
solitary flowers in axils of distal leaves.
1–several opening per day near sunset;
buds nodding, weakly or strongly quadrangular or fluted in distal 1/2, with free tips 0–9 mm;
floral tube 20–40 mm;
sepals (13–)15–35 mm, not spotted;
petals white, fading pink to deep pink, broadly obovate or obcordate, 15–44 mm;
filaments 8–15 mm, anthers 5–14 mm;
style 35–60 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.
opening near sunset, with a sweet scent or nearly unscented;
buds nodding by recurved floral tube, usually sharply or bluntly quadrangular in cross section (sometimes fluted in distal 1/2 in O. deltoides), without free tips or free tips short (sometimes to 9 mm in O. deltoides);
floral tube 15–40(–50) mm;
sepals separatingin pairs or individually;
petals white, fading pink, obcordate to obovate;
stigma deeply divided into 4 linear lobes.
spreading, straight to curved, becoming somewhat woody in age, cylindrical to slightly 4-angled, widest toward base, tapering from base to apex, (15–)30–80 × 1.5–5 mm;
sessile.
straight, curved upward, spreading, or contorted, sometimes woody in age, cylindrical, obtusely 4-angled, gradually tapering from base to apex, dehiscent 1/2 to nearly throughout;
sessile.
numerous, in 1 row per locule, buff with dark spots or black, narrowly obovoid, 1.5–2.8 mm.
numerous, in 1 row per locule, obovoid, surface minutely alveolate, but appearing smooth.
= 14, 28.
Oenothera deltoides
Oenothera sect. Anogra
Subspecies 5 (5 in the flora).
Oenothera deltoides is self-incompatible or self-compatible (W. M. Klein 1964; W. L. Wagner et al. 2007; K. E. Theiss et al. 2010).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species 8 (7 in the flora).
Section Anogra consists of eight species (17 taxa) native to western North America including Mexico, found usually in dry, sandy soil in a wide variety of habitats in the Chihuahuan, Great Basin, Mojave, and Sonoran deserts, to grasslands and open sites in montane forest, -50 to 3300 m. Only one species, Oenothera wigginsii Klein, occurs entirely outside the United States, while four others occur within the flora area but extend into northern Mexico. Section Anogra is included within a strongly supported clade with the two species of sect. Kleinia in recent molecular studies (R. A. Levin et al. 2004; M. E. K. Evans et al. 2005, 2009). The support levels for the topology within this clade are generally very weak, with only a few taxa grouping into moderately to strongly supported groups (for example, members of O. pallida complex, O. deltoides + O. wigginsii, O. californica + O. arizonica and O. neomexicana).
Species of sect. Anogra have vespertine flowers that are outcrossed and pollinated by hawkmoths or have flowers that are partly autogamous (D. P. Gregory 1964; W. M. Klein 1964, 1970). In Oenothera deltoides the capsule valves split open widely and disperse seeds, while the entire plant forms a so-called tumbleweed. Other species in the section appear to have more passive seed dispersal; the capsules dehisce while the plant remains rooted. The basal rosette may not be evident at time of flowering or not developed. When this is the case, or when the dimensions of the basal leaves are very similar to the cauline ones, only one range for leaf dimensions is given.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Herbs perennial, from long, fleshy roots; stems not thickened at base, branches erect or ascending, not encircling stems in older plants. | subsp. howellii |
1. Herbs annual or short-lived perennial from a taproot; stems usually thickened at base, branches ascending or decumbent, often encircling stems in older plants. | → 2 |
2. Flower buds fluted or strongly quadrangular in distal 1/2, without free tips, villous with curly hairs, sometimes glabrous; leaf blade margins sinuate-dentate to pinnatifid; petals 15–25(–30) mm; capsules 15–25(–30) mm. | subsp. piperi |
2. Flower buds weakly or strongly quadrangular in distal 1/2, with free tips 0–3 mm, strigillose, sparsely to moderately villous, or glabrous; leaf blade margins sinuate-dentate or subentire, rarely pinnatifid; petals 15–44 mm; capsules 40–80 mm. | → 3 |
3. Flower buds with free tips 1–3 mm, quadrangular in distal 1/2; plants strigillose, especially distally. | subsp. ambigua |
3. Flower buds with free tips 0–1.5 mm, weakly quadrangular in distal 1/2; plants glabrous, villous, or strigillose. | → 4 |
4. Herbs annual, strigillose, sometimes also villous; capsules 2–3.5 mm diam.; flower buds with free tips 0–1.5 mm. | subsp. deltoides |
4. Herbs short-lived perennial or sometimes annual, glabrous or sparsely villous, rarely also strigillose; capsules 3–5 mm diam.; flower buds without free tips. | subsp. cognata |
1. Herbs winter-annual or short-lived perennial from a taproot. | → 2 |
2. Sepals conspicuously maroon-spotted. | O. arizonica |
2. Sepals without maroon spots. | → 3 |
3. Plants villous throughout, also strigillose on leaves and distal parts; leaf blade margins coarsely repand-dentate or -pinnatifid. | O. engelmannii |
3. Plants villous, strigillose, or glabrous, sometimes more densely villous or strigillose distally; leaf blade margins subentire to sinuate-dentate or remotely denticulate, sometimes pinnatifid. | → 4 |
4. Capsules 2.5–5 mm diam.; sepals (13–)15–35 mm. | O. deltoides |
4. Capsules 1.5–2.5 mm diam.; sepals 10–18 mm. | O. pallida |
1. Herbs perennial, from a taproot, also with lateral roots producing adventitious shoots or with long, fleshy roots. | → 5 |
5. Buds fluted in distal 1/2, with free tips 1–9 mm; plants from relatively long, fleshy roots. | O. deltoides |
5. Buds quadrangular in distal 1/2, with free tips 0–4 mm; plants from a taproot and with lateral roots producing adventitious shoots. | → 6 |
6. Plants glabrous, sometimes strigillose on leaves and/or glandular puberulent distally, at least on floral tube; leaf blades 0.3–0.6(–1) cm wide, narrowly oblong to oblong- lanceolate, margins usually entire. | O. nuttallii |
6. Plants villous, strigillose, glabrate, or glabrous, not glandular puberulent; leaf blades (0.3–)1–2.5 cm wide, usually ovate, oblong to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, oblanceolate, or spatulate, rarely rhombic-ovate, margins usually sinuate-dentate to pinnatifid or subentire, rarely entire. | → 7 |
7. Capsules erect or strongly ascending. | O. neomexicana |
7. Capsules spreading to reflexed. | → 8 |
8. Capsules 2–3.5 mm diam.; stems decumbent or ascending. | O. californica |
8. Capsules 1.5–2.5 mm diam.; stems erect or ascending. | O. pallida |
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