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Chilean evening primrose

desert evening primrose, yellow desert evening primrose

Habit Herbs winter-annual, caulescent to short-caulescent, long-hirsute, hairs often with reddish purple pustulate bases, especially proximally, also moderately strigillose, and glandular puberulent distally, often on leaves; from a weakly fleshy taproot.
Stems

(when present) unbranched and erect or, sometimes, few branches from near base, in robust plants stems and caudex hollow and greatly enlarged, especially toward base, densely leafy, 5–35 cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette, sometimes also cauline, (1.4–)6–15(–28) × (0.2–)1–3.5(–5.6) cm;

petiole (0.9–)3.5–8(–14) cm;

blade oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, pinnatifid or 2-pinnatifid to shallowly pinnately lobed, margins sinuate-dentate or subentire, apex obtuse.

Flowers

usually 1–4, rarely more, opening per day, 1–2 hours before sunset;

sepals (7–)12–25(–30) mm;

petals yellow, fading reddish orange to purple, obcordate to obovate, (6–)13–35(–40) mm;

filaments 6–16 mm, anthers 3–10 mm;

style (32–)40–90(–100) mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers or surrounded by them.

Capsules

woody in age, sigmoid or curved to nearly straight, lanceoloid to ovoid, 4-angled, 10–45(–60) × 4–8 mm, beak 4–15 mm, dehiscent 1/4–2/3 their length;

sessile.

Seeds

usually numerous, in 2 rows per locule, obovoid to oblanceoloid, 3–3.5 × 1–1.4 mm, surface thickened above raphe and at distal end into U-shaped structure.

2n

= 14.

Oenothera stricta

Oenothera primiveris

Phenology Flowering Feb–May(–Jun).
Habitat Sandy soil on flats, low hills and margins of sand dunes, along arroyos, road­sides, in desert scrub, grasslands and oak-grasslands.
Elevation 30–1600 m. (100–5200 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
South America [Introduced, California]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; NV; TX; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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 primiveris has a complex variation pattern (W. L. Wagner 2005). In the western part of the range from southeastern California across southern Nevada to southern Utah counties of Emery, Kane, and Washington, and northwestern Mohave County, Arizona, plants generally have a gray appearance, with dense pubescence and larger flowers with widespread self-compatibility, but with scattered populations retaining self-incompatibility. Populations from southof the Mogollon Plateau to southern New Mexico, western Texas, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California, Mexico, are greener in appearance with smaller to much smaller flowers, and are all self-compatible with occasional outcrossing or complete autogamy. The transitions between these two extremes are so extensive and more or less gradual that it is not possible to subdivide into two subspecies as has been done previously (Wagner).

(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. Oenothera > subsect. Munzia > ser. Allochroa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Eremia
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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
O. stricta subsp. stricta
Synonyms Lavauxia lobata, L. primiveris, O. bufonis, O. cespitosa var. primiveris, O. johnsonii, O. primiveris subsp. bufonis, O. primiveris var. bufonis, O. primiveris subsp. caulescens, O. primiveris var. caulescens, Pachylophus johnsonii
Name authority Ledebour ex Link: Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 1: 377. (1821) — (as striata) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 58. (1853)
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