Gauras of the Llano Estacado

Sect. Gaura

Oenothera calcicola (Gaura calcicola) - Plants essentially glabrous, not rhizomatous, perennial; flowers medium; fruits with long stipe. Seems to prefer limestone. Illustration of fruit.
Representative observations: flowers, leaves; fruits, plant

Oenothera cinerea var. cinerea (Gaura cinerea) - Plants densely hairy, usually with appressed hairs, but may be unappressed, perennial; flowers medium; fruits with long stipe. Plants of sandy soils. Illustration of fruit.
Representative observations: rosette and leaf hairs; flowers, fruits, habit, and leaf hairs

Oenothera curtiflora (Gaura parviflora) - Plants densely hairy with soft, villous hairs, annual; flowers very small; fruits without a long stipe, not deeply lobed, not significantly larger at the base. Plants of disturbed, primarily wet soils including waste places and roadsides. Illustration of fruit.
Representative observations: most characteristics; rosette; flowers and fruits

Oenothera lindheimeri (Gaura lindheimeri) - Plants essentially glabrous, perennial; flowers large; fruits without long stipe, not significantly enlarged at the base, widest point toward the middle. E TX; commonly cultivated. Illustration of fruit.

Oenothera neallyi (Gaura suffulta var. neallyi) - Plants with sparse, long, straight hairs below inflorescence, glandular hairs above inflorescence, annual; flowers large; fruits without stipe, greatly lobed and enlarged at the base. Mostly Trans-Pecos TX; may occur in southern Llano Estacado. Illustration of fruit.

Oenothera sinuosa (Gaura sinuata) - Plants essentially glabrous, rhizomatous, perennial; flowers medium; fruits with long stipe. Most of TX, possibly eastern Llano Estacado. Illustration of fruit.
Representative observations: habit

Oenothera suffrutescens (Gaura coccinea) - Plants usually with many gray, appressed hairs, rhizomatous, perennial; flowers medium or slightly smaller; fruits with thickened stipe, widest at base. Common and widespread in various habitats and soils. Illustration of fruit.
Representative observations: rosette; leaves and stem hairs; flowers, fruit, and mature habit

Oenothera suffulta (Gaura suffulta) - Plants with sparse, long, straight hairs below inflorescence, glabrous above inflorescence, annual; flowers large; fruits without stipe, greatly lobed and enlarged at the base. Common in various disturbed soils including roadsides. Illustration of fruit.
Representative observations: rosette; habit; flowers, mature fruit

Oenothera triangulata (Gaura triangulata) - Plants with sparse, long, straight hairs below inflorescence, glabrous above inflorescence, annual; flowers appear medium, most flowers 3-merous (3 petals, sepals, and stigmas; 6 stamens) instead of the usual 4-merous; fruits without stipe, greatly lobed and enlarged at the base. Rolling and Lubbock area of High Plains. Illustration of fruit.

Representative observations: flower.

Oenothera xenogaura (Gaura drummondii) - Plants densely appressed hairy, rhizomatous, perennial; fruits without or with very short stipe, greatly lobed and enlarged at the base. Most TX except High Plains and Trans-Pecos, likely not on Llano Estacado. Illustration of fruit.

Posted on May 6, 2019 05:18 AM by nathantaylor nathantaylor

Comments

@amzapp @rowdius I think you were the two who were interested in this. It's at least a start. This is just the Gaura portion. I'm hoping to get better photos for O. sinuosa, O. calcicola, O. lindheimeri, and possibly O. neallyi. If I happen by the other species, I'll get photos of them too, but I'm a bit doubtful that they actually make it this far west. I have included them as a precaution as their ranges do come close. At some point, I plan to embed the photos instead of just linking to them too, but I may just wait until I'm done with the rest of the Oenotheras so I can include them all together.

Posted by nathantaylor almost 5 years ago

Thanks so much!

Posted by rowdius almost 5 years ago

Thank you! Bookmarked this faster than you can say 'You're my hero.'

Posted by amzapp almost 5 years ago

:-) Hope you two are able to get some good use out of it!

Posted by nathantaylor almost 5 years ago

This plant has always given me a fit to ID. I will study on this. Thanks Nathan

Posted by jotol almost 5 years ago

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