Oenothera nealleyi
Oenothera howardii
Howard's evening-primrose
usually well-branched, 20–70(–100) cm.
(when present) ascending, longer ones becoming decumbent, leafy, sometimes densely so, 0–10(–30) 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, sometimes also cauline, (6–)8.5–17(–23) × (0.5–)1–2(–3) cm;
petiole 2–7.5 cm;
blade usually oblanceolate, elliptic to narrowly oblong, rarely lanceolate, margins often undulate, entire or remotely and irregularly pinnately lobed mostly in proximal 1/2, rarely more regularly pinnately lobed and lobing extending to distal 1/2, sinuses usually extending less than 1/2 to midrib, lobes triangular to oblong or linear, (1–)4–9(–13) mm, apex acute to obtuse.
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.
usually 1 or 2, rarely more, opening per day near sunset, strongly and sweetly scented;
buds with unequal free tips 1–3(–4) mm;
floral tube (43–)60–110(–125) mm;
sepals (30–)35–60(–80) mm;
petals brilliant yellow, fading deep red, drying deep reddish purple to reddish brown, usually broadly obovate, rarely subrhombic, (30–)40–60(–73) mm, sometimes with a terminal tooth;
filaments (19–)25–38 mm, anthers 10–17 mm;
style(90–)110–145(–165) 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.
leathery, ovoid, narrowly ovoid, or narrowly lanceoloid to broadly ellipsoid, winged, wings (2–)4–7(–11) mm wide, body (20–)25–50(–80) × 4–6 mm, dehiscent 1/4–1/3 their length;
pedicel 2–6 mm.
3 or 4 (or 5), yellowish to light brown, 2–3(–4) × 1 mm.
numerous, usually in 1 row per locule, rarely in 2 rows toward base, obovoid to subcuboid, 3–8 × 2.5–3.5 mm.
= 14.
= 28, 42, 56.
Oenothera nealleyi
Oenothera howardii
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.)
Oenotherahowardii is known from three disjunct areas: three collections on the High Plains (Baca and Otero counties, Colorado, and Hamilton County, Kansas); open yucca-juniper grassland, rocky slopes or disturbed areas on shale substrates along the Colorado counties of Boulder, Denver, Jefferson, and Larimer, and just over the state line in Wyoming; and, common to scattered, mostly on rocky slopes but also in shaded canyon sites on fine-textured red sandstones, clays, gypsum, chalky white degraded limestone or limestone in pinyon-juniper woodland to ponderosa pine-Douglas fir forest in southern Utah and eastern Nevada.
A. Nelson intended to publish Lavauxia howardii as a new combination and base it on Oenothera howardii M. E. Jones (1893), which was not validly published at the time, but inadvertently published L. howardii as a new species. Oenothera howardii (A. Nelson) W. L. Wagner is an isonym.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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