FNA: Oenothera suffrutescens

	Oenothera suffrutescens
	linda tarde, scarlet beeblossom, scarlet evening-primrose, scarlet gaura, wild honeysuckle
Habit	Herbs perennial, densely strigillose, sometimes also long-villous proximally, sometimes glabrate; from a deep, thick taproot, often with branching underground stems, or branching only at surface, these often becoming horizontal or nearly so and giving rise to new plants.
Stems	erect or ascending, usually many-branched, 10–120 cm.
Leaves	in a basal rosette (but not present at flowering) and cauline, 0.7–6.5 × 0.1–1.5 cm, blade linear to narrowly elliptic, margins entire or remotely and coarsely serrate.
Flowers	4-merous, zygomorphic, opening near sunset; floral tube 4–11(–13) mm; sepals 5–9(–10) mm; petals white, fading salmon pink to scarlet-red, slightly unequal, obovate to elliptic-obovate or elliptic, 3–7(–8) mm, abruptly clawed; filaments 3–6.5(–7) mm, anthers (2.5–)3–5(–5.5) mm; style 10–22 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.
Capsules	erect, pyramidal in distal 1/2 and abruptly constricted to terete proximal part, pyramidal part weakly or strongly angled, not conspicuously bulging at base, 4–9 × (1–)1.5–3 mm; sessile.
Seeds	(1–)3 or 4, light to reddish brown, 1.5–3 × 1–1.5 mm.
2n	= 14, 28, 42, 56.

	Oenothera suffrutescens
Phenology	Flowering Apr–Aug(–Nov).
Habitat	Sandy or clay soil, often calcareous, desert shrublands to pinyon-juniper or oak woodlands, grasslands, disturbed areas.
Elevation	150–2000(–3000) m. (500–6600(–9800) ft.)
Distribution	AZ; CA; CO; IA; IL; IN; KS; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; NY; OK; SD; TX; UT; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; ON; SK; Mexico (Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Zacatecas); introduced in South America (Brazil); Europe (Wales) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Oenothera suffrutescens is naturalized sporadically in southern California (Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties; although native in eastern part of the state), Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, southern Ontario, and Wisconsin. P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) determined Oenothera suffrutescens to be self-incompatible and polyploid. It is known to form hybrids with O. calcicola and O. hispida. Schizocarya kunthii Spach is an illegitimate name based on Gaura epilobioides that pertains here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa	Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Gaura > subsect. Campogaura
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. stricta, O. suffulta, O. tetraptera, O. texensis, O. toumeyi, O. triangulata, O. triloba, O. tubicula, O. villosa, O. wolfii, O. xylocarpa
Synonyms	Gaura suffrutescens, G. bracteata, G. coccinea, G. coccinea var. arizonica, G. coccinea var. epilobioides, G. coccinea var. glabra, G. coccinea var. integerrima, G. coccinea var. parvifolia, G. epilobioides, G. glabra, G. induta, G. linearis, G. marginata, G. multicaulis, G. odorata, G. parvifolia, G. spicata
Name authority	(Seringe) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 214. (2007)
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, IL Wildflowers, KS Wildflowers, MI Flora, MN Wildflowers, MO Plants, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Oenothera suffrutescens

linda tarde, scarlet beeblossom, scarlet evening-primrose, scarlet gaura, wild honeysuckle

Habit

Herbs perennial, densely strigillose, sometimes also long-villous proximally, sometimes glabrate; from a deep, thick taproot, often with branching underground stems, or branching only at surface, these often becoming horizontal or nearly so and giving rise to new plants.

Stems

erect or ascending, usually many-branched, 10–120 cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette (but not present at flowering) and cauline, 0.7–6.5 × 0.1–1.5 cm, blade linear to narrowly elliptic, margins entire or remotely and coarsely serrate.

Flowers

4-merous, zygomorphic, opening near sunset;

floral tube 4–11(–13) mm;

sepals 5–9(–10) mm;

petals white, fading salmon pink to scarlet-red, slightly unequal, obovate to elliptic-obovate or elliptic, 3–7(–8) mm, abruptly clawed;

filaments 3–6.5(–7) mm, anthers (2.5–)3–5(–5.5) mm;

style 10–22 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

erect, pyramidal in distal 1/2 and abruptly constricted to terete proximal part, pyramidal part weakly or strongly angled, not conspicuously bulging at base, 4–9 × (1–)1.5–3 mm;

sessile.

Seeds

(1–)3 or 4, light to reddish brown, 1.5–3 × 1–1.5 mm.

= 14, 28, 42, 56.

Oenothera suffrutescens

Phenology

Flowering Apr–Aug(–Nov).

Habitat

Sandy or clay soil, often calcareous, desert shrublands to pinyon-juniper or oak woodlands, grasslands, disturbed areas.

Elevation

150–2000(–3000) m. (500–6600(–9800) ft.)

Distribution

AZ; CA; CO; IA; IL; IN; KS; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; NY; OK; SD; TX; UT; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; ON; SK; Mexico (Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Zacatecas); introduced in South America (Brazil); Europe (Wales)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Oenothera suffrutescens is naturalized sporadically in southern California (Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties; although native in eastern part of the state), Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, southern Ontario, and Wisconsin.

P. H. Raven and D. P. Gregory (1972[1973]) determined Oenothera suffrutescens to be self-incompatible and polyploid. It is known to form hybrids with O. calcicola and O. hispida.

Schizocarya kunthii Spach is an illegitimate name based on Gaura epilobioides that pertains here.

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

Source

FNA vol. 10.

Parent taxa

Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Gaura > subsect. Campogaura

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. stricta, O. suffulta, O. tetraptera, O. texensis, O. toumeyi, O. triangulata, O. triloba, O. tubicula, O. villosa, O. wolfii, O. xylocarpa

Synonyms

Gaura suffrutescens, G. bracteata, G. coccinea, G. coccinea var. arizonica, G. coccinea var. epilobioides, G. coccinea var. glabra, G. coccinea var. integerrima, G. coccinea var. parvifolia, G. epilobioides, G. glabra, G. induta, G. linearis, G. marginata, G. multicaulis, G. odorata, G. parvifolia, G. spicata

Name authority

(Seringe) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 214. (2007)

Web links

Local floras: BC, CA, WA
Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, IL Wildflowers, KS Wildflowers, MI Flora, MN Wildflowers, MO Plants, PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database
LBJ Wildflower Center
SEINet
Plants of the World Online
Encyclopedia of Life
Wikipedia
Google Image Search

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America, UW Burke Herbarium

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Oenothera suffrutescens

Oenothera suffrutescens