Oenothera laciniata
Oenothera sinuosa
cut-leaf evening-primrose, southern evening primrose
wavy-leaf gaura, wavyleaf beeblossom
erect to ascending, unbranched to much branched, 5–50 cm.
erect, branched below and just above ground, branched also proximal to inflorescences, 40–120(–250) cm.
in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 4–15 × 1–3 cm, cauline 2–10 × 0.5–3.5 cm;
blade green, narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic or narrowly oblong, margins usually dentate or deeply lobed;
bracts spreading, flat.
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.
stout.
usually 1 opening per day near sunset;
buds erect, with free tips erect, 0.3–3 mm;
floral tube 12–35 mm;
sepals 5–15 mm;
petals yellow, fading orange or reddish tinged, broadly obovate or obcordate, 5–22 mm;
filaments 3–14 mm, anthers 4–5 mm, pollen ca. 50% fertile;
style 20–50 mm, stigma surrounded by 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.
cylindrical, sometimes slightly enlarged toward apex, 20–50 × 2–4 mm.
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.
ellipsoid to subglobose, 0.9–1.8 × 0.4–0.9 mm.
(1 or)2–4, light to reddish brown, 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm.
= 14.
= 28.
Oenothera laciniata
Oenothera sinuosa
Oenothera laciniata is a PTH species and forms aring of 14 chromosomes in meiosis, and is self-compatible and autogamous (W. Dietrich and W. L. Wagner 1988).
Oenothera laciniata is known in New Mexico from Doña Ana and Roosevelt counties from non-montane habitats and thus do not appear to represent O. pubescens; however, a few collections from Brewster and Jeff Davis counties, Texas, reported by W. Dietrich and W. L. Wagner (1988) as O. laciniata appear to represent collections of O. pubescens. Dietrich and Wagner found that O. laciniata hybridizes not only with O. grandis, but also with O. drummondii subsp. drummondii, O. humifusa, and O. mexicana. It is naturalized nearly worldwide in temperate and subtropical areas.
(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.)
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