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pale evening-primrose

Habit Herbs perennial, strigillose, sometimes also sparsely villous, or glabrous; from a taproot, lateral roots producing adventitious shoots. Herbs perennial, usually glabrous, sometimes strigillose, rarely sparsely villous; from a taproot, lateral roots producing adventitious shoots.
Stems

usually branched throughout.

usually branched throughout.

Leaves

rosette not present at anthesis, 2–3.5(–5) × 0.4–1(–1.5) cm;

blade oblong to narrowly lanceolate, margins usually deeply sinuate-dentate to pinnatifid, rarely dentate only.

rosette not present at anthesis, 2–6 × 0.3–0.8(–1) cm;

blade lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or oblong, margins usually subentireor remotely denticulate, rarely pinnatifid, usually repand.

Flowers

buds with free tips 0–0.2 mm;

floral tube 15–30 mm;

sepals 10–25 mm;

petals 10–30 mm.

buds with free tips 0.5–2 mm;

floral tube 20–35 mm;

sepals 12–18 mm;

petals 12–25 mm.

Capsules

spreading to reflexed, straight or curved, sometimes contorted.

spreading, contorted to curved.

2n

= 14.

= 14.

Oenothera pallida subsp. runcinata

Oenothera pallida subsp. pallida

Phenology Flowering (Apr–)May–Sep. Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat Sandy soil, dunes, disturbed areas, alkaline soil, pinyon-juniper woodlands, shrublands with Artemisia, Ericameria, or Prosopis, open ponderosa pine woodlands. Sandy soil, dunes, disturbed areas, alkaline soil.
Elevation 1100–2400 m. (3600–7900 ft.) 1100–2000 m. (3600–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; TX; UT; Mexico (Chihuahua)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies runcinata replaces subsp. pallida in the southern part of the species range. In New Mexico, it is most morphologically diverse, with plants with subentire leaves densely strigillose recognized in the past as subsp. gypsophila. The distribution and characteristics of these plants should be studied more in relation to other types of populations included in subsp. runcinata. Glabrous plants in the southern portion of the range of subsp. runcinata, especially in New Mexico, adjacent Texas, and Chihuahua, Mexico, have been recognized as var. brevifolia.

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

The distribution of subsp. pallida centers in the intermountain region from Oregon and Washington east of the mountains, adjacent southern British Columbia, south through southern Idaho, Wyoming, western half of Utah, southern Nevada, to northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and adjacent southwestern Colorado. There are morphological intermediates with subspp. runcinata and trichocalyx. Densely strigillose plants occur within the range of subsp. pallida, especially near the St. Anthony Dunes in Idaho, and have been referred to as var. idahoensis.

Baumannia douglasiana Spach is an illegitimate name that pertains here.

(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 > Oenothera pallida Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Anogra > Oenothera pallida
Sibling taxa
O. pallida subsp. latifolia, O. pallida subsp. pallida, O. pallida subsp. trichocalyx
O. pallida subsp. latifolia, O. pallida subsp. runcinata, O. pallida subsp. trichocalyx
Synonyms O. albicaulis var. runcinata, Anogra gypsophila, A. leucotricha, A. pallida var. runcinata, A. runcinata, O. albicaulis var. brevifolia, O. albicaulis var. gypsophila, O. pallida subsp. gypsophila, O. pallida var. runcinata, O. runcinata, O. runcinata var. brevifolia, O. runcinata var. gypsophila, O. runcinata var. leucotricha, O. wislizeni Anogra leptophylla, O. pallida var. idahoensis, O. pallida var. leptophylla
Name authority (Engelmann) Munz & W. M. Klein in N. L. Britton et al.: N. Amer. Fl., ser. 2, 5: 119. (1965) unknown
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