Oenothera rosea
Oenothera arizonica
pink evening primrose, rose evening-primrose
California evening primrose
1–several, ascending to decumbent, 7–65 cm.
ascending to erect, with decumbent branches, thickened at base, tapering toward apex, 10–35(–60) cm.
in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 1–6 × 0.3–2 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic or ovate, margins subentire, weakly serrulate, or sinuate-pinnatifid;
cauline 1–6 × 0.3–2 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, margins subentire or weakly serrulate, proximal ones sinuate-pinnatifid.
in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 5–10(–26) × 0.6–1.5(–3.5) cm, cauline 5–8(–15.5) × 1–2 cm;
petiole 0–12 cm;
blade lanceolate to oblanceolate, margins pinnatifid or sometimes coarsely serrate.
erect.
1–3 opening per day near sunrise;
buds with free tips 0.1–1 mm;
floral tube 4–8 mm;
sepals 6–12 mm;
petals rose purple, fading darker, 4–12 mm;
filaments 4–6 mm, anthers 2–3.5 mm, pollen 35–65% fertile;
style 7–13.5 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.
1–several opening per day near sunset;
buds nodding, weakly quadrangular, without free tips;
floral tube 26–31 mm;
sepals 19–26 mm, conspicuously maroon-spotted, each spot at base of a long hair;
petals white, fading pink to deep pink, broadly obovate or obcordate, 16–26(–36) mm;
filaments 9–15 mm, anthers 7–9 mm;
style 45–50 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.
narrowly obovoid, 4–12 × 2–4 mm, apex attenuate to a sterile beak, proximal stipe 5–20 mm, gradually tapering to base, valve midrib prominent in distal part;
sessile.
spreading, woody in age, curved upward, or distal end recurved, cylindrical, obtusely 4-angled, especially toward base, tapering gradually from base to apex, 30–80 × 2.5–3.5 mm;
sessile.
narrowly obovoid, 0.5–0.9 × 0.3–0.5 mm.
numerous, in 1 row per locule, light brown to yellowish brown with dark purple splotches, obovoid, 1.6–2 mm.
= 14.
= 14.
Oenothera rosea
Oenothera arizonica
Oenothera rosea is a PTH species, forming a ring of 14 chromosomes in meiosis, and is self-compatible and autogamous. In the flora area, it is known from Cochise, Pima, and Santa Cruz counties in Arizona, Alameda, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara counties in California (primarily in urban areas), and from southern Texas. It is clearly of North American origin, since all of its close relatives are confined to North America, and has spread south along the Andes. It occurs at 500–3700 m in South America but generally at lower elevations in most areas.
The name Hartmannia affinis Spach is illegitimate, being based on Oenothera virgata; H. gauroides Spach is also illegitimate, being based on O. rosea; O. purpurea Lamarck is a later homonym; these three names pertain here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Oenothera arizonica occurs in southern Arizona from Maricopa and Yuma counties to Cochise County, and from scattered localities in northern Sonora, Mexico, including Cerro Tepopa, Puerto Libertad, and Tastiota. The populations from southwestern Arizona (Yuma County) southward to Sonora often grow on low dunes.
Populations from sand dunes in Yuma County, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, appear to be a large phenotype of Oenothera arizonica that differ from all other specimens in the size of vegetative parts and flowers, and comprise all of the atypical measurements given in the description. Oenothera arizonica typically grows on dunes in Sonora, but rarely so in Arizona. Populations growing on dunes should be studied further and compared to non-dune populations in the northern and eastern portion of the range. Oenothera arizonica is self-compatible (W. L. Wagner et al. 2007; K. E. Theiss et al. 2010).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
