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threadleaf evening-primrose, threadleaf sundrop

Habit Herbs annual, caulescent, strigillose or glabrous, also often glandular puberulent, especially distally; from a sparsely branched taproot. Herbs perennial (short-lived or, sometimes, suffrutescent) or annual, glabrous or strigillose; from a stout taproot.
Stems

unbranched or with many ascending branches arising near base, erect, 10–50 cm.

1–many, weakly decumbent to ascending or erect, unbranched to moderately branched, (10–)25–80 cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 1–2(–4) × 0.2–0.6 cm, petiole 0.2–1(–1.5) cm, blade ovate to obovate or narrowly elliptic;

cauline 1–4 × less than 0.1 cm, sessile, blade linear or filiform.

1–9 × (0.1–)0.3–1 cm, sometimes fascicles of small leaves to 2 cm present in non-flowering axils;

petiole 0–0.6 cm;

blade linear to narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, often folded lengthwise, usually not much reduced distally, proximalmost leaves sometimes spatulate, base attenuate, margins subentire or serrulate or spinulose-serrate, apex acute.

Flowers

usually 1–3 opening per day near sunrise;

buds without free tips;

sepals 1.5–2 mm;

petals bright yellow, fading pink, obcordate to obovate, 3–5(–7) mm;

filaments 1–2 mm, anthers 0.5–1 mm;

style 1–2 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.

opening at sunrise;

buds with free tips 0–4 mm;

floral tube 5–20 mm;

sepals 4–12 mm, midribs keeled;

petals yellow, fading orangish to purplish, 6–25 mm; antisepalous filaments 2–8 mm, antipetalous filaments 1–4 mm, anthers 2–7 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 9–30 mm, stigma sometimes blue-black, discoid to quadrangular, exserted beyond anthers.

Capsules

ellipsoid-rhombic to subglobose, 4-angled, 4–6(–10) × 1.5–3 mm, stipe 0–4 mm, valve midrib raised at distal end, indehiscent or tardily dehiscent distally;

sessile.

10–35 × 1–2 mm, hard, dehiscent 1/2 their length, often tardily dehiscent throughout their length.

Seeds

clustered in each locule, ovoid, surface minutely papillose, 1 × 0.5 mm.

obovoid, 1–1.8 mm, sharply angled, apex truncate.

2n

= 14.

Oenothera linifolia

Oenothera capillifolia

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun(–Aug).
Habitat Prairies, open woodlands, open rocky and sandy sites, roadsides.
Elevation 0–400 m. (0–1300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; OK; SC; TN; TX
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[BONAP county map]
c United States; sc United States; n Mexico
Discussion

Kneiffia linearifolia Spach (1835) is an illegitimate name based on Oenothera linifolia.

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

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Oenothera capillifolia is self-incompatible (H. F. Towner 1977).

Oenothera berlandieri (Spach) Steudel 1841, not D. Dietrich 1840, is superfluous and cannot be used in Oenothera when transferred from Calylophus, and pertains here.

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

Key
1. Stems 1–several, ascending to erect, 30–80 cm; leaves 2.5–9 cm.
subsp. capillifolia
1. Stems several–many, decumbent to ascending, (10–)25–40 cm; leaves 1–4 cm.
subsp. berlandieri
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Peniophyllum Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Calylophus > subsect. Calylophus
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. 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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
O. capillifolia subsp. berlandieri, O. capillifolia subsp. capillifolia
Synonyms Kneiffia linifolia, O. linifolia var. glandulosa, Peniophyllum linifolium Meriolix capillifolia
Name authority Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 2: 120. (1821) Scheele: Linnaea 21: 576. (1848)
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