Flora of North America species comparison

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Oenothera linifolia

Oenothera nealleyi

threadleaf evening-primrose, threadleaf sundrop
Habit Herbs annual, caulescent, strigillose or glabrous, also often glandular puberulent, especially distally; from a sparsely branched taproot. Herbs annual, sparsely villous proximally, leaves glabrate to sparsely villous along veins and on margins, usually glandular puberulent in distal parts; from stout taproot.
Stems

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

usually well-branched, 20–70(–100) 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.

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.
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.

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.
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.

ellipsoid or ovoid, narrowly 4-winged, furrowed between angles, 4.5–8 × 2–5 mm, stipe 0.2–2.2 mm;

sessile.
Seeds

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

3 or 4 (or 5), yellowish to light brown, 2–3(–4) × 1 mm.
2n

= 14.

= 14.

Oenothera linifolia

Oenothera nealleyi
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun(–Aug). Flowering Apr–Oct.
Habitat Prairies, open woodlands, open rocky and sandy sites, roadsides. Washes, sandy places, grass­lands, extending to pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Elevation 0–400 m. (0–1300 ft.) 1200–2200 m. (3900–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; OK; SC; TN; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM; TX; Mexico (Coahuila)
Discussion

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

(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.)
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Peniophyllum Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Gaura > subsect. Gaura
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. 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. linifolia, O. longissima, O. macrocarpa, O. mckelveyae, O. mexicana, 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
Synonyms Kneiffia linifolia, O. linifolia var. glandulosa, Peniophyllum linifolium Gaura nealleyi, G. suffulta subsp. nealleyi, G. suffulta var. terrellensis, O. suffulta subsp. nealleyi
Name authority Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 2: 120. (1821) (J. M. Coulter) Krakos & W. L. Wagner: PhytoKeys 28: 64. (2013)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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