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New Mexico evening-primrose

wavy-leaf gaura, wavyleaf beeblossom

Habit Herbs perennial, glabrate proximally, strigillose and villous distally; from a taproot, also with lateral roots producing adventitious shoots. Herbs perennial, usually glabrous, sometimes strigillose and villous, hairs erect; from a woody taproot but spreading by rhizomes (forming extensive colonies).
Stems

erect or ascending, unbranched or branched, 30–60 cm.

erect, branched below and just above ground, branched also proximal to inflorescences, 40–120(–250) cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette and cauline, rosette weakly developed or absent, at least during flowering, 3–9 × (0.6–)1–2.5 cm;

petiole 0–2 cm;

blade oblong to lanceolate or narrowly ovate, margins irregularly sinuate-dentate.

in a basal rosette and cauline, (1–)3–11 × (0.1–)0.5–2 cm, blade linear to narrowly oblanceolate, margins usually sparsely sinuate-dentate, rarely subentire, often undulate.

Inflorescences

stout.

Flowers

1–several opening per day near sunset;

buds nodding, weakly quadrangular, with free tips 0.5–4 mm;

floral tube 30–50 mm;

sepals 20–30 mm, not spotted;

petals white, fading pink, broadly obovate, 20–30 mm;

filaments 10–15 mm, anthers 8–15 mm;

style 50–70 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

4-merous, zygomorphic, opening near sunset;

floral tube 2.5–5 mm;

sepals 7–14 mm;

petals white, fading pink to red, slightly unequal, elliptic, 7–15 mm;

stamens presented in lower 1/2 of flower, filaments 5–11 mm, lanate at very base, anthers 3–5 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 12–19 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

erect or strongly ascending, not woody, straight or slightly curved, subcylindrical, obtusely 4-angled, tapering gradually from base to apex, 20–30 × 2–3 mm;

sessile.

narrowly ovoid, narrowly 4-winged or 4-angled, 8–15 × 1.5–3.5 mm, abruptly constricted to a long, sterile stipe 2–8 mm.

Seeds

numerous, in 1 row per locule, dark brown, narrowly obovoid, 1.5 mm.

(1 or)2–4, light to reddish brown, 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm.

2n

= 14.

= 28.

Oenothera neomexicana

Oenothera sinuosa

Phenology Flowering (Mar–)Jun–Jul(–Sep). Flowering Apr–Aug.
Habitat Uncommon, in rocky or sandy clay or loamy soil in coniferous forest openings, stream valleys, roadsides. Flats and washes in light sandy loam.
Elevation 1500–3300 m. (4900–10800 ft.) 0–300(–1300) m. (0–1000(–4300) ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; MO; NY; OK; TX [Introduced in Europe (Italy), s Africa]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oenothera neomexicana is known from central to western New Mexico west of the Rio Grande Valley, except for the Organ Mountains, and eastern and central Arizona from the White Mountains south to Mount Graham and northwestward across the Mogollon Rim in Coconino and Yavapai counties. Oenothera neomexicana had been assumed to be self-incompatible (W. L. Wagner et al. 2007), but K. E. Theiss et al. (2010) determined one population sampled to be consistently self-compatible.

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

P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) determined Oenothera sinuosa to be self-incompatible.

Oenothera sinuosa is endemic to Oklahoma and Texas and is escaped or naturalized in Alabama, Arkansas, California (where found to 1300 m), Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and New York.

Oenothera sinuosa is potentially a noxious weed due to the aggressive rhizomatous habit, but is somewhat limited by its self-incompatibility. Molecular data (G. D. Hoggard et al. 2004) are consistent with the hypothesis that the allotetraploid (2n = 28) O. sinuosa arose by interspecific hybridization of two species within subsect. Stipogaura as suggested by P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]). The molecular data indicate that the pistillate parent came from O. calcicola or a close relative, while the staminate parent originated from the lineage that gave rise to O. cinerea and O. filipes.

(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. Anogra Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Gaura > subsect. Stipogaura
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. mckelveyae, O. mexicana, O. nealleyi, 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. 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. 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 Anogra neomexicana Gaura sinuata
Name authority (Small) Munz: Amer. J. Bot. 18: 317. (1931) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 214. (2007)
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