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Nuttall's evening primrose

Habit Herbs perennial, mostly glabrous, sometimes strigillose on leaves and/or glandular puberulent on distal parts, at least on floral tube; from a taproot, lateral roots producing adventitious shoots.
Stems

erect, often branched, 30–100 cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette and cauline, rosette weakly developed or absent, at least during flowering, 2–6(–10.5) × 0.3–0.6(–1) cm;

petiole 0–2 cm;

blade narrowly oblong to oblong-lanceolate, margins usually entire, sometimes remotely denticulate or repand-denticulate.

Flowers

1–several opening per day near sunset;

buds nodding, weakly quadrangular, with free tips 1–2 mm;

floral tube 15–40 mm;

sepals 20–30 mm, not spotted;

petals white, fading pink, broadly obovate or obcordate,15–30 mm;

filaments 15–18 mm, anthers 8–10 mm;

style 35–45 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

erect or ascending, woody in age, straight or slightly curved, cylindrical, obtusely 4-angled, especially toward base, tapering slightly from base to apex, 20–30 × 2–3 mm;

sessile.

Seeds

numerous, in 1 row per locule, reddish dark brown, narrowly obovoid, 1.5–2.3 mm.

2n

= 14, 28.

Oenothera nuttallii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Dry, sandy or rocky prairies, open wooded hillsides, disturbed areas, roadsides.
Elevation 500–2200(–2900) m. (1600–7200(–9500) ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; IL; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; SD; WI; WY; AB; MB; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oenothera nuttallii had been assumed to be self-incompatible (W. L. Wagner et al. 2007), but K. E. Theiss et al. (2010) determined two plants to be self-compatible.

Anogra nuttalliana Spach and Baumannia nuttalliana Spach are illegitimate names that pertain here.

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

Source FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Anogra
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. neomexicana, O. nutans, 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 O. albicaulis, O. albicaulis var. nuttallii
Name authority Sweet: Hort. Brit. ed. 2, 199. (1830)
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