Oenothera nealleyi
Oenothera californica
California evening primrose
usually well-branched, 20–70(–100) cm.
ascending or decumbent, usually branched from near base, sometimes new rosettes forming at branch apex when buried in drifting sand, 10–60 cm.
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.
in a basal rosette and cauline, rosette sometimes weakly developed or absent, at least during flowering, 1–13 × 0.5–2 cm;
petiole 0–2(–4.5) cm;
blade oblong to oblanceolate or spatulate, sometimes rhombic-ovate, margins entire or weakly to conspicuously dentate or pinnatifid.
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.
1–several opening per day near sunset;
buds nodding, weakly quadrangular, with free tips 0–0.8 mm;
floral tube 20–40 mm;
sepals 15–30 mm, not spotted;
petals white, fading pink to deep pink, broadly obcordate, 15–35(–40) mm;
filaments 10–17 mm, anthers 5–10 mm;
style 30–60 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.
ellipsoid or ovoid, narrowly 4-winged, furrowed between angles, 4.5–8 × 2–5 mm, stipe 0.2–2.2 mm;
sessile.
spreading to ascending, woody in age, often curved upward, cylindrical, obtusely 4-angled, tapering slightly from base to apex, 20–80 × 2–3.5 mm;
sessile.
3 or 4 (or 5), yellowish to light brown, 2–3(–4) × 1 mm.
numerous, in 1 row per locule, olive-brown or yellowish brown to black, sometimes with minute purple dots, obovoid, 1–2.5 mm.
= 14.
Oenothera nealleyi
Oenothera californica
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.)
Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).
Most populations of Oenothera californica are self-incompatible (W. L. Wagner et al. 2007; K. E. Theiss et al. 2010), but some populations of subsp. californica are self-compatible. All chromosome counts indicate that subspp. avita and eurekensis are diploid (2n = 14) and those of subsp. californica are tetraploid (2n = 28). Oenothera californica is polymorphic with subspp. avita and californica being very similar, and differing primarily in ecology, distribution, and relatively minor differences in leaf morphology and ploidy level, while the sand dune-restricted subsp. eurekensis is more distinctive in both morphology and habitat.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Plants with fleshy underground horizontal rootstocks; stems sometimes with new rosettes forming at stem apex when becoming buried in drifting sand; leaf blades rhombic-ovate to oblanceolate, margins entire or weakly dentate. | subsp. eurekensis |
1. Plants with a taproot and adventitious shoots from lateral roots; stems not with new rosettes forming at branch apex; leaf blades oblong to oblanceolate to spatulate, margins entire or weakly to conspicuously dentate or pinnatifid. | → 2 |
2. Leaf blade margins usually entire or weakly dentate, sometimes more conspicuously dentate to pinnatifid; capsules 30–55 mm. | subsp. californica |
2. Leaf blade margins conspicuously dentate to pinnatifid, rarely some or all of them entire or weakly dentate; capsules 20–80 mm. | subsp. avita |
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