Oenothera stricta |
Oenothera cavernae |
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Chilean evening primrose |
cave evening-primrose, cavedwelling evening primrose |
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Habit | Herbs winter or spring annual, acaulescent or short-caulescent, glandular puberulent, sometimes also sparsely hirsute; from a taproot. | |
Stems | (when present) 1–several, ascending, usually unbranched, 2–4 cm. |
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Leaves | primarily in a basal rosette, sometimes also cauline, (0.5–)2.5–13(–19.5) × (0.2–)0.6–2.3(–2.7) cm; petiole 0.5–5.2 cm; blade oblanceolate to elliptic-oblanceolate (in some exceptionally large leaves), margins lyrate-pinnatifid to subentire (in very small ones), apex usually rounded, rarely acute. |
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Flowers | 1–3(–10) per stem opening per day near sunset, without noticeable scent; buds sometimes ± recurved before anthesis; floral tube (20–)30–37(–47) mm; sepals 4.5–12 mm; petals white, fading pale pink, (6.5–)8–20(–25) mm; filaments 5.2–7.5(–12) mm, anthers (1.4–)3–4.5(–6) mm; style (24–)35–45(–56) mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis. |
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Capsules | falcate (especially before maturity), ellipsoid-ovoid to ovoid, obtusely 4-angled, 12–38 × 6–14 mm, tapering to a sterile beak 2–8 mm, dehiscent to 1/2 their length, valve margins with a sinuate ridge or 8–20 nearly distinct tubercles; pedicel 0–10 mm. |
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Seeds | usually numerous, sometimes as few as 5, in 2 adjacent rows per locule, obovoid, 2.5–3.1 × 1.1–1.4 mm, embryo 1/2 of seed volume, surface minutely papillose to reticulate; seed collar without membrane, producing a large empty cavity, margin irregularly sinuate. |
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2n | = 14. |
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Oenothera stricta |
Oenothera cavernae |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–May. | |
Habitat | Exposed calcareous slopes, crevices in limestone, dolomite, or loose talus, sandy arroyos, sandstone, granitic crevices, volcanic cinders in Mojave Desert or Great Basin scrub communities, rarely in arid juniper woodlands. | |
Elevation | 400–1700 m. (1300–5600 ft.) | |
Distribution |
South America [Introduced, California] |
AZ; CA; NV |
Discussion | Subspecies 2 (1 in the flora). Oenothera stricta is a PTH species and forms a ring of 14 chromosomes in meiosis, and is self-compatible and autogamous (W. Dietrich 1977). Subspecies stricta is naturalized in many areas around the world and may be so in California. Subspecies altissima W. Dietrich occurs only in Argentina. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Oenothera cavernae is known from the Arrow Canyon, Las Vegas, and Sheep ranges and the low hills near Arden and Sloan in Clark County, Nevada, eastward along the Grand Canyon to the vicinity of Page, Arizona, and perhaps Washington County, Utah and formerly in Glenn Canyon, and more recently collected in eastern San Bernardino County, California (eastern Clark Mountain Range, and the base of range in Ivanpah Valley). W. L. Wagner et al. (1985) determined O. cavernae to be self-compatible and autogamous. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 10. | FNA vol. 10. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Name authority | Ledebour ex Link: Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 1: 377. (1821) — (as striata) | Munz: Leafl. W. Bot. 3: 50. (1941) |
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