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wood fruit evening primrose, woodyfruit evening primrose

Habit Herbs perennial, acaulescent, densely short-hirsute, also sometimes sparsely long-hirsute distally; from a thick, fleshy taproot. Herbs perennial (short-lived or, sometimes, suffrutescent) or annual, glabrous or strigillose; from a stout taproot.
Stems

1–many, weakly decumbent to ascending or erect, unbranched to moderately branched, (10–)25–80 cm.

Leaves

in a basal rosette, 2.6–4.2(–6.2) × 1.4–4.2 cm;

petiole 2.5–9(–11.5) cm;

blade usually oblanceolate to obovate, sometimes suborbiculate, margins dentate, pinnately lobed, lateral lobes oblong to lanceolate, often absent or reduced to only a few lobes toward terminal lobe, base rounded to cordate.

1–9 × (0.1–)0.3–1 cm, sometimes fascicles of small leaves to 2 cm present in non-flowering axils;

petiole 0–0.6 cm;

blade linear to narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, often folded lengthwise, usually not much reduced distally, proximalmost leaves sometimes spatulate, base attenuate, margins subentire or serrulate or spinulose-serrate, apex acute.

Flowers

usually 1–3, rarely more, opening per day near sunset;

buds erect, quadrangular, without free tips;

floral tube 27–45(–55) mm;

sepals 25–30 mm;

petals intensely yellow, fading deep salmon red, obcordate, 25–38 mm;

filaments 17–23 mm, anthers 7–10 mm;

style 44–65(–80) mm, stigma somewhat exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

opening at sunrise;

buds with free tips 0–4 mm;

floral tube 5–20 mm;

sepals 4–12 mm, midribs keeled;

petals yellow, fading orangish to purplish, 6–25 mm; antisepalous filaments 2–8 mm, antipetalous filaments 1–4 mm, anthers 2–7 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 9–30 mm, stigma sometimes blue-black, discoid to quadrangular, exserted beyond anthers.

Capsules

moderately thin and flexible, lanceoloid, falcate or sigmoid, often contorted and twisted, 4-angled, 35–90 × 7–11 mm, gradually tapering to a long, slender, sterile apex, 10–30(–40) mm, valves conspicuously wrinkled, dehiscent 2/3–3/4 their length;

sessile.

10–35 × 1–2 mm, hard, dehiscent 1/2 their length, often tardily dehiscent throughout their length.

Seeds

numerous, in 1 row per locule, often forming 2 rows near base of capsule, obovoid, 2.4–3.2 × 1.3–1.7 mm, surface coarsely rugose.

obovoid, 1–1.8 mm, sharply angled, apex truncate.

2n

= 14.

Oenothera xylocarpa

Oenothera capillifolia

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul(–Aug).
Habitat Open meadows, flats or slopes on loose granitic gravel, sand, or pumice in Pinus jeffreyi forests with Artemisia tridentata, or in Pinus contorta subsp. murrayana and Abies magnifica forests.
Elevation 2200–3100 m. (7200–10200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV
[BONAP county map]
c United States; sc United States; n Mexico
Discussion

Oenothera xylocarpa is known from three disjunct areas in California and adjacent Nevada: Mount Rose, Washoe County, Nevada; southern Sierra Nevada, southwestern Mono County, California, from the vicinity of Crestview south to Casa Diablo; and the area in the southern Sierra Nevada bounded by Horseshoe and Big Whitney meadows to the east and north, and Casa Vieja and Volcano Meadows to the south and west, west-central Inyo and eastern Tulare counties, California.

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

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Oenothera capillifolia is self-incompatible (H. F. Towner 1977).

Oenothera berlandieri (Spach) Steudel 1841, not D. Dietrich 1840, is superfluous and cannot be used in Oenothera when transferred from Calylophus, and pertains here.

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

Key
1. Stems 1–several, ascending to erect, 30–80 cm; leaves 2.5–9 cm.
subsp. capillifolia
1. Stems several–many, decumbent to ascending, (10–)25–40 cm; leaves 1–4 cm.
subsp. berlandieri
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Contortae Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Oenothera > sect. Calylophus > subsect. Calylophus
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. suffrutescens, O. suffulta, O. tetraptera, O. texensis, O. toumeyi, O. triangulata, O. triloba, O. tubicula, O. villosa, O. wolfii
O. acutissima, O. albicaulis, O. argillicola, O. arida, O. arizonica, O. biennis, O. boquillensis, O. brachycarpa, O. calcicola, O. californica, O. canescens, 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. suffrutescens, O. suffulta, O. tetraptera, O. texensis, O. toumeyi, O. triangulata, O. triloba, O. tubicula, O. villosa, O. wolfii, O. xylocarpa
Subordinate taxa
O. capillifolia subsp. berlandieri, O. capillifolia subsp. capillifolia
Synonyms Anogra xylocarpa Meriolix capillifolia
Name authority Coville: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 4: 105, plate 8. (1893) Scheele: Linnaea 21: 576. (1848)
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