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Mckelvey's beeblossom

royal evening primrose

Habit Herbs perennial, clumped, long-villous, more sparsely so distally, hairs erect, 2–4 mm, also strigillose, sometimes glabrate distally or also sparsely glandular puberulent; from twisted, woody rootstock. Herbs annual, moderately to sparsely strigillose and villous, sometimes glandular puberulent distally.
Stems

ascending, branched below or just above ground, branched also proximal to inflorescences, 30–70(–120) cm.

erect to ascending, usually unbranched, 10–40 cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 3–17 × 0.8–2 cm, blade oblanceolate, cauline 1–6.5 × 0.1–1.5 cm, sessile, blade narrowly oblanceolate to elliptic, margins conspicuously sinuate-dentate, often undulate.

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 5–12 ×1.3–3.5 cm, cauline 2–8.5 ×1–3 cm;

blade green, narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic or narrowly lanceolate, margins usually dentate to pinnatifid, sometimes subentire;

bracts spreading, flat.

Inflorescences

slender.

Flowers

4-merous, zygomorphic, opening near sunset;

floral tube 2–3.5 mm;

sepals 6–12 mm;

petals white, fading dark pink to red, slightly unequal, elliptic-obovate, 7–11 mm, long-clawed;

stamens presented in lower 1/2 of flower, filaments 5–9 mm, lanate at very base, anthers 2–4 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 9–16 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

usually 1 opening per day near sunset;

buds erect, with free tips erect, 0.5–2 mm;

floral tube 25–40 mm;

sepals 10–22 mm;

petals yellow, fading orange or reddish tinged, broadly obovate or shallowly obcordate, 13–25 mm;

filaments 10–17 mm, anthers 4–5 mm, pollen 85–100% fertile;

style 35–50 mm, stigma slightly exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

reflexed, lanceoloid to narrowly ovoid, narrowly 4-winged, 8–19 × 1.5–2 mm, tapering to a sterile stipe 3–9 mm.

cylindrical, sometimes slightly enlarged toward apex, 20–45 × 2–2.5 mm.

Seeds

(1 or)2–4, 2–3 × 1 mm, yellowish to reddish brown.

ellipsoid, 0.8–1.4 × 0.3–0.6 mm.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Oenothera mckelveyae

Oenothera falfurriae

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering Apr–Aug.
Habitat Sandy soil. Open, sandy sites.
Elevation 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oenothera mckelveyae, on the Rio Grande Plain, is found in an area bounded by from Dimmit and LaSalle counties east to Karnes and Refugio counties in the north, southward through south Texas, extending to northeastern Tamaulipas and adjacent Nuevo León. P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) found Oenothera mckelveyae to be self-incompatible.

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

Oenothera falfurriae is known only from southeastern Texas (Aransas, Brazos, Brooks, Cameron, Frio, Harris, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Maverick, Nueces, Refugio, Starr, Val Verde, Victoria, Webb, Willacy, Wilson, and Zapata counties). It is self-compatible and autogamous, but not a PTH species.

(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. Gaura > subsect. Stipogaura Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Oenothera > subsect. Raimannia
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. linifolia, O. longissima, O. macrocarpa, 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. 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
Synonyms Gaura villosa var. mckelveyae, Gaura mckelveyae
Name authority (Munz) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 213. (2007) W. Dietrich & W. L. Wagner: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 74: 149. (1987)
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