Oenothera glaucifolia |
Oenothera sinuosa |
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false gaura |
wavy-leaf gaura, wavyleaf beeblossom |
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Habit | Herbs probably biennial, glabrous, becoming sparsely to densely glandular puberulent and short-villous distally, glaucous at least in proximal parts; from stout roots. | Herbs perennial, usually glabrous, sometimes strigillose and villous, hairs erect; from a woody taproot but spreading by rhizomes (forming extensive colonies). |
Stems | erect, branched or unbranched, 30–300 cm. |
erect, branched below and just above ground, branched also proximal to inflorescences, 40–120(–250) cm. |
Leaves | in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 3–7 × 0.5–2 cm, sessile, blade oblong to oblong-lanceolate, base usually ± auriculate, margins entire; cauline 3–8(–10) × 0.4–1.8 cm, blade lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, gradually smaller, becoming linear-subulate distally. |
in a basal rosette and cauline, (1–)3–11 × (0.1–)0.5–2 cm, blade linear to narrowly oblanceolate, margins usually sparsely sinuate-dentate, rarely subentire, often undulate. |
Inflorescences | long, wandlike, unbranched or branched. |
stout. |
Flowers | 4-merous, nearly actinomorphic, opening near sunrise; floral tube 6–17 mm; sepals 4–6 mm; petals white, fading off-white or tinged pink, slightly unequal, rhombic, 4–6 mm, abruptly clawed; filaments 5–8 mm, anthers 1.5–2 mm, pollen 85–100% fertile; style 6–10, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis. |
4-merous, zygomorphic, opening near sunset; floral tube 2.5–5 mm; sepals 7–14 mm; petals white, fading pink to red, slightly unequal, elliptic, 7–15 mm; stamens presented in lower 1/2 of flower, filaments 5–11 mm, lanate at very base, anthers 3–5 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile; style 12–19 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis. |
Capsules | ovoid, 4-angled, somewhat flattened, 3–4 × 1.5–2.3 mm, valves with raised midrib and conspicuous lateral veins; sessile. |
narrowly ovoid, narrowly 4-winged or 4-angled, 8–15 × 1.5–3.5 mm, abruptly constricted to a long, sterile stipe 2–8 mm. |
Seeds | 1, pale yellow, oblanceoloid, 2.4–2.6 × 1–1.5 mm. |
(1 or)2–4, light to reddish brown, 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm. |
2n | = 14. |
= 28. |
Oenothera glaucifolia |
Oenothera sinuosa |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Oct(–Nov). | Flowering Apr–Aug. |
Habitat | Rocky prairie slopes and outcrops or bluffs, along streams, roadsides, usuallyon limestone. | Flats and washes in light sandy loam. |
Elevation | 200–1300 m. (700–4300 ft.) | 0–300(–1300) m. (0–1000(–4300) ft.) |
Distribution |
AR; CO; KS; MO; NE; NM; OK; TX; WY
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AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; MO; NY; OK; TX [Introduced in Europe (Italy), s Africa]
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Discussion | Oenothera glaucifolia is self-incompatible, the flowers diurnal, pollinated primarily by wasps (R. Clinebell, unpubl.), as well as bees, flies, butterflies, and occasionally beetles (summarized by W. L. Wagner et al. 2007). It was collected once in 1988 in Indiana at Miller Woods Visitor Center (Lake County), Dritz 596 (MOR); it seems likely that it was introduced, and has not been collected there since. Stenosiphon virgatus Spach is a superfluous name and pertains here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) determined Oenothera sinuosa to be self-incompatible. Oenothera sinuosa is endemic to Oklahoma and Texas and is escaped or naturalized in Alabama, Arkansas, California (where found to 1300 m), Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and New York. Oenothera sinuosa is potentially a noxious weed due to the aggressive rhizomatous habit, but is somewhat limited by its self-incompatibility. Molecular data (G. D. Hoggard et al. 2004) are consistent with the hypothesis that the allotetraploid (2n = 28) O. sinuosa arose by interspecific hybridization of two species within subsect. Stipogaura as suggested by P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]). The molecular data indicate that the pistillate parent came from O. calcicola or a close relative, while the staminate parent originated from the lineage that gave rise to O. cinerea and O. filipes. (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. Stenosiphon | Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Gaura > subsect. Stipogaura |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Gaura linifolia, Stenosiphon linifolius | Gaura sinuata |
Name authority | W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 212. (2007) | W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 214. (2007) |
Web links |