Oenothera humifusa
Oenothera nealleyi
seabeach evening-primrose
erect to decumbent, much branched, 10–50(–90) cm.
usually well-branched, 20–70(–100) cm.
in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 4–8 × 0.7–1 cm, cauline 1–7 × 0.3–1.5 cm;
blade usually grayish green, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic or narrowly obovate, margins remotely shallowly dentate to subentire;
bracts spreading, flat.
in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 3.5–9 × 0.5–1.5 cm, blade lyrate;
cauline 1.5–7 × 0.1–0.6 cm, blade narrowly lanceolate to linear, margins sinuate-dentate, undulate.
usually 1 opening per day near sunset;
buds erect, with free tips erect and appressed or slightly spreading, 0.5–2 mm;
floral tube 15–35 mm;
sepals3–11 mm;
petals yellow, very broadly obovate or obcordate, 4.5–16 mm;
filaments 4–11 mm, anthers 2–5.5 mm, pollen ca. 50% fertile;
style 23–45 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.
4-merous, zygomorphic, opening at sunset;
floral tube 10–20 mm;
sepals 11–21 mm;
petals white, fading pink to red, elliptic to elliptic-obovate, 10–15 mm;
filaments 8–13 mm, anthers 2–6 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;
style 22–36 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.
cylindrical, sometimes slightly enlarged toward apex, 15–45 × 2–3 mm.
ellipsoid or ovoid, narrowly 4-winged, furrowed between angles, 4.5–8 × 2–5 mm, stipe 0.2–2.2 mm;
sessile.
usually ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, rarely subglobose, 1–2 × 0.5–0.9 mm.
3 or 4 (or 5), yellowish to light brown, 2–3(–4) × 1 mm.
= 14.
= 14.
Oenothera humifusa
Oenothera nealleyi
Oenothera humifusa 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). The inland collection from Iredell County, North Carolina, presumably represents an introduction. There are two geographically separated morphological forms of O. humifusa. Plants of one form are somewhat decumbent, with subentire cauline leaves and bracts; this form occurs in the southern part of the range. The other form is more upright, with more deeply divided leaves; it occurs from North Carolina northward.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Oenothera nealleyi is restricted to an area from trans-Pecos Texas and northern Coahuila, Mexico, north to Bernalillo and Torrance counties, New Mexico. P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) considered O. nealleyi to represent an unevenly intergrading entity with O. suffulta based on merging of distinguishing characteristics. The known intermediates occur in Terrell County, Texas, and were previously described as Gaura suffulta var. terrellensis Munz, but until new data on its status are available, we include this name with O. nealleyi. The molecular data (K. N. Krakos, unpubl.) suggest that O. nealleyi is not as closely related to O. suffulta as suggested by Raven and Gregory, given the placement in the phylogeny and the difference in scent profiles for these two taxa. Oenothera suffulta is a member of a strongly supported clade that also includes O. patriciae and O. triangulata, while O. nealleyi is a member of a polytomy that consists of other species of subsect. Gaura, with the O. suffulta—O. triangulata—O. patriciae clade sister to it (W. L. Wagner et al. 2013). Oenothera nealleyi has a strong sweet scent, whereas O. suffulta does not have a discernible scent (Wagner et al.). Raven and Gregory determined O. nealleyi to be self-incompatible.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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