Oenothera texensis |
Oenothera glaucifolia |
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Texas evening primrose |
false gaura |
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Habit | Herbs perennial, caulescent, strigillose and also sparsely hirsute; from slender taproot. | Herbs probably biennial, glabrous, becoming sparsely to densely glandular puberulent and short-villous distally, glaucous at least in proximal parts; from stout roots. |
Stems | several–many, ascending, unbranched or branched, 25–50 cm. |
erect, branched or unbranched, 30–300 cm. |
Leaves | in a basal rosette and cauline, basal (1–)2.5–6.5 × 0.6–2.3 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate or ovate, margins weakly serrulate to sinuate-pinnatifid; cauline 1–5.5 × 0.6–2 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, margins weakly serrulate. |
in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 3–7 × 0.5–2 cm, sessile, blade oblong to oblong-lanceolate, base usually ± auriculate, margins entire; cauline 3–8(–10) × 0.4–1.8 cm, blade lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, gradually smaller, becoming linear-subulate distally. |
Inflorescences | erect. |
long, wandlike, unbranched or branched. |
Flowers | 1–3 opening per day near sunrise; buds with free tips 0–1 mm; floral tube 15–26 mm; sepals 15–23 mm; petals rose purple, fading darker, 12–25(–30) mm; filaments 9–13 mm, anthers 3.5–6mm, pollen 85–100% fertile; style 26–36 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis. |
4-merous, nearly actinomorphic, opening near sunrise; floral tube 6–17 mm; sepals 4–6 mm; petals white, fading off-white or tinged pink, slightly unequal, rhombic, 4–6 mm, abruptly clawed; filaments 5–8 mm, anthers 1.5–2 mm, pollen 85–100% fertile; style 6–10, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis. |
Capsules | clavate or narrowly obovoid, 9–15 × 3.5–6 mm, apex attenuate to a sterile beak, valve midrib prominent in distal part, proximal stipe 7–12(–28) mm, gradually taperingto base; sessile. |
ovoid, 4-angled, somewhat flattened, 3–4 × 1.5–2.3 mm, valves with raised midrib and conspicuous lateral veins; sessile. |
Seeds | narrowly obovoid, 0.8–1 × 0.2–0.4 mm. |
1, pale yellow, oblanceoloid, 2.4–2.6 × 1–1.5 mm. |
2n | = 14. |
= 14. |
Oenothera texensis |
Oenothera glaucifolia |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Sep. | Flowering May–Oct(–Nov). |
Habitat | Sandy and gravel bars of streambeds and along streams. | Rocky prairie slopes and outcrops or bluffs, along streams, roadsides, usuallyon limestone. |
Elevation | 900–2500 m. (3000–8200 ft.) | 200–1300 m. (700–4300 ft.) |
Distribution |
TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas) |
AR; CO; KS; MO; NE; NM; OK; TX; WY
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Discussion | In the flora area, Oenothera texensis is known only from Jeff Davis County. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Oenothera glaucifolia is self-incompatible, the flowers diurnal, pollinated primarily by wasps (R. Clinebell, unpubl.), as well as bees, flies, butterflies, and occasionally beetles (summarized by W. L. Wagner et al. 2007). It was collected once in 1988 in Indiana at Miller Woods Visitor Center (Lake County), Dritz 596 (MOR); it seems likely that it was introduced, and has not been collected there since. Stenosiphon virgatus Spach is a superfluous name and pertains here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 10. | FNA vol. 10. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Gaura linifolia, Stenosiphon linifolius | |
Name authority | P. H. Raven & D. R. Parnell: Madroño 20: 247. (1970) | W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 212. (2007) |
Web links |