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plains beeblossom

Mexican evening primrose, pinkladies, showy evening primrose

Habit Herbs annual, villous proximally, sparsely villous along leaf veins and on margins, usually glabrate or, sometimes, strigillose distally; from taproot. Herbs perennial, caulescent, glabrate to strigillose, usually also sparsely hirsute; from slender taproot and spreading by rhizomes.
Stems

usually well-branched from base and distally, rarely unbranched, 15–65(–85) cm.

many, erect, 4–60 cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 6–9.5 × 1–2 cm, blade lyrate;

cauline 1–7 × 0.1–2.3 cm, blade narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, margins shallowly sinuate-denticulate to subentire.

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 2–9 × 0.3–3.2 cm, blade oblanceolate to obovate, margins subentire or sinuate-pinnatifid;

cauline 1–10 × 0.3–3.5 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to ovate, margins subentire or serrulate to sinuate-pinnatifid.

Inflorescences

sharply nodding.

Flowers

(3- or)4-merous, zygomorphic, opening at sunset;

floral tube 6–12 mm;

sepals 10–15 mm;

petals white, fading pink to purple, elliptic-obovate, 8–13 mm;

filaments 5–8 mm, anthers 2–4 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 15–24 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

1–3 opening per day near sunrise in some populations, near sunset in others;

buds with free tips 0–4 mm;

floral tube 12–25 mm;

sepals 15–50 mm;

petals pink to rose, fading darker, or white, fading pink, 15–45 mm;

filaments 10–22 mm, anthers 6–16 mm, pollen 85–100% fertile;

style 20–55 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

ellipsoid, narrowly (3- or)4-winged, deeply furrowed between wings, 6–10 × 2–3 mm, with or without prominent lower corners, narrowed to a stipe 0–1 mm;

sessile.

narrowly obovoid to narrowly rhombic-ellipsoid, angled, 10–25 × 3.5–6 mm, apex attenuate to a sterile beak, valve midrib prominent, proximal stipe cylindrical, not tapering to base, (4–)8–15 mm;

sessile.

Seeds

3 or 4, yellowish to reddish brown, 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm.

narrowly obovoid, 1–1.2 × 0.5–0.6 mm.

2n

= 14.

= 14, 28, 42.

Oenothera patriciae

Oenothera speciosa

Phenology Flowering Feb–Jun. Flowering (Feb–)Apr–Jul(–Oct).
Habitat Open, sandy sites. Grasslands, glades, open woodlands, disturbed places, pastures, rail­roads, roadsides, loamy or sandy soil, sometimes clay.
Elevation 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) 10–900 m. (0–3000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
LA; MS; OK; TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; IA; IL; IN; KS; LA; MO; NE; NM; OK; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oenothera patriciae is known from Acadia Parish, Louisiana, Amite County, Mississippi, Bryan and Love counties, Oklahoma, and eastern Texas.

Reports of Oenothera patriciae near Tulsa, Oklahoma, and at the single locations in Arkansas and Mississippi may represent introductions. P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) determined O. patriciae to be self-compatible, but primarily outcrossing.

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

Oenothera speciosa is widely cultivated worldwide for its showy flowers and easy maintenance. It is not known to be definitely naturalized, but tends to persist or become adventive due to its aggressive vegetative reproduction.

(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. Gaura > subsect. Gaura Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Hartmannia
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. nuttallii, O. oakesiana, O. organensis, O. pallida, O. parviflora, 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. sinuosa, O. spachiana, 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 Gaura brachycarpa, G. hexandra var. coryi, G. tripetala var. coryi Hartmannia berlandieri, H. reverchonii, O. berlandieri, O. delessertiana, O. hirsuta, O. obtusifolia, O. shimekii, O. spachii, O. speciosa var. berlandieri, O. speciosa var. childsii, O. tetraptera var. childsii, Xylopleurum berlandieri, X. drummondii, X. hirsutum, X. obtusifolium, X. speciosum
Name authority W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 213. (2007) Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 2: 119. (1821)
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