Oenothera linifolia |
Oenothera cavernae |
|
---|---|---|
threadleaf evening-primrose, threadleaf sundrop |
cave evening-primrose, cavedwelling evening primrose |
|
Habit | Herbs annual, caulescent, strigillose or glabrous, also often glandular puberulent, especially distally; from a sparsely branched taproot. | Herbs winter or spring annual, acaulescent or short-caulescent, glandular puberulent, sometimes also sparsely hirsute; from a taproot. |
Stems | unbranched or with many ascending branches arising near base, erect, 10–50 cm. |
(when present) 1–several, ascending, usually unbranched, 2–4 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. |
primarily in a basal rosette, sometimes also cauline, (0.5–)2.5–13(–19.5) × (0.2–)0.6–2.3(–2.7) cm; petiole 0.5–5.2 cm; blade oblanceolate to elliptic-oblanceolate (in some exceptionally large leaves), margins lyrate-pinnatifid to subentire (in very small ones), apex usually rounded, rarely 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. |
1–3(–10) per stem opening per day near sunset, without noticeable scent; buds sometimes ± recurved before anthesis; floral tube (20–)30–37(–47) mm; sepals 4.5–12 mm; petals white, fading pale pink, (6.5–)8–20(–25) mm; filaments 5.2–7.5(–12) mm, anthers (1.4–)3–4.5(–6) mm; style (24–)35–45(–56) mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis. |
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. |
falcate (especially before maturity), ellipsoid-ovoid to ovoid, obtusely 4-angled, 12–38 × 6–14 mm, tapering to a sterile beak 2–8 mm, dehiscent to 1/2 their length, valve margins with a sinuate ridge or 8–20 nearly distinct tubercles; pedicel 0–10 mm. |
Seeds | clustered in each locule, ovoid, surface minutely papillose, 1 × 0.5 mm. |
usually numerous, sometimes as few as 5, in 2 adjacent rows per locule, obovoid, 2.5–3.1 × 1.1–1.4 mm, embryo 1/2 of seed volume, surface minutely papillose to reticulate; seed collar without membrane, producing a large empty cavity, margin irregularly sinuate. |
2n | = 14. |
= 14. |
Oenothera linifolia |
Oenothera cavernae |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun(–Aug). | Flowering Mar–May. |
Habitat | Prairies, open woodlands, open rocky and sandy sites, roadsides. | Exposed calcareous slopes, crevices in limestone, dolomite, or loose talus, sandy arroyos, sandstone, granitic crevices, volcanic cinders in Mojave Desert or Great Basin scrub communities, rarely in arid juniper woodlands. |
Elevation | 0–400 m. (0–1300 ft.) | 400–1700 m. (1300–5600 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; OK; SC; TN; TX
|
AZ; CA; NV |
Discussion | Kneiffia linearifolia Spach (1835) is an illegitimate name based on Oenothera linifolia. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Oenothera cavernae is known from the Arrow Canyon, Las Vegas, and Sheep ranges and the low hills near Arden and Sloan in Clark County, Nevada, eastward along the Grand Canyon to the vicinity of Page, Arizona, and perhaps Washington County, Utah and formerly in Glenn Canyon, and more recently collected in eastern San Bernardino County, California (eastern Clark Mountain Range, and the base of range in Ivanpah Valley). W. L. Wagner et al. (1985) determined O. cavernae to be self-compatible and autogamous. (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. Peniophyllum | Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Pachylophus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Kneiffia linifolia, O. linifolia var. glandulosa, Peniophyllum linifolium | |
Name authority | Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 2: 120. (1821) | Munz: Leafl. W. Bot. 3: 50. (1941) |
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