Oenothera speciosa

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Oenothera speciosa
Showy Primrose.JPG
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Onagraceae
Genus: Oenothera
Species:
O. speciosa
Binomial name
Oenothera speciosa
Synonyms [2]
  • Hartmannia speciosa(Nutt.) Small
  • Xylopleurum speciosum(Nutt.) Raim.
  • Xylopleurum drummondiiSpach
  • Xylopleurum nuttalliiSpach
  • Xylopleurum obtusifoliumSpach
  • Hartmannia berlandieri(Spach) Rose, syn of var. berlandieri
  • Xylopleurum berlandieriSpach, syn of var. berlandieri
  • Oenothera tetraptera var. childsiiL.H. Bailey, syn of var. childsii

Oenothera speciosa is a species in the evening primrose family known by several common names, including pinkladies, pink evening primrose, showy evening primrose, Mexican primrose, and buttercups (not to be confused with true buttercups in the genus Ranunculus ).

Contents

Description

Oenothera speciosa is a herbaceous perennial wildflower. It has glabrous (smooth) to pubescent stems that grow to 50 centimetres (20 inches) in height. The pubescent leaves are alternate with very short or no petiole (sessile), reaching 10 cm (4 in) long to 4 cm (1+12 in) broad. They are variable in shape, from linear to obovate, and are toothed or wavy-edged. It produces single, four-petaled, cup-shaped flowers on the upper leaf axils. These fragrant shell-pink flowers bloom throughout the summer into early autumn. The 4–5 cm (1+12–2 in) flowers start out white and turn pink as they age.

The flower throats, as well as the stigmas and stamens, have a soft yellow color. It blooms both day and night, but typically in the pre-dawn hours, closing when the full sun hits them. They bloom from March to July, and occasionally in the fall. The flowers are frequented by several insect species, but moths are the most common as the flowers are mostly open at night.

Taxonomy

The specific name, speciosa, means "showy".

This plant may be referred to as a buttercup, though it is not a true buttercup (genus Ranunculus ), or even in the buttercup family.

Varieties

The species has the following varieties: [2]

Distribution and habitat

Originally native to the grasslands of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, northeastern New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, [3] it has been naturalized in 28 of the lower 48 United States [4] as well as Chihuahua and Coahuila in Mexico. It frequently escapes from gardens.

The plant's wild habitat includes rocky prairies, open woodlands, slopes, roadsides, meadows and disturbed areas. While it makes an attractive garden plant, care should be taken with it as it can become invasive, spreading by runners and seeds. This drought-resistant plant prefers loose, fast-draining soil and full sun. It is a groundcover.

The pink evening primrose is used in the temperate latitudes as an ornamental plant, but does not survive severe winters. Within the United States Department of Agriculture's hardiness zone climates 4 to 9, and in most areas of Central Europe, the species should be sufficiently hardy. In Europe plant has been reported to cause deaths of eurasian hummingbird hawk-moth as they get stuck into the flower while foraging. [5]

Uses

The green plant parts can be cooked or eaten as a salad; the taste is pleasant when harvested before flowers develop. [6] [ better source needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Oenothera biennis</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera biennis, the common evening-primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Onagraceae, native to eastern and central North America, from Newfoundland west to Alberta, southeast to Florida, and southwest to Texas, and widely naturalized elsewhere in temperate and subtropical regions. Evening primrose oil is produced from the plant.

<i>Ranunculus californicus</i> Species of buttercup

Ranunculus californicus, commonly known as the California buttercup, is a flowering plant of the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is a native of California, where it is common in many habitats, including chaparral and woodlands.

<i>Oenothera lindheimeri</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera lindheimeri, commonly known as Lindheimer's beeblossom, white gaura, pink gaura, Lindheimer's clockweed, and Indian feather, is a species of Oenothera. Several of its common names derive from the genus Gaura, in which this species was formerly placed.

<i>Ranunculus glaberrimus</i> Species of flowering plant

Ranunculus glaberrimus, the sagebrush buttercup, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. It is native to interior western North America, in western Canada, the western United States, and the northwestern Great Plains.

<i>Oenothera fruticosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera fruticosa, the narrowleaf evening primrose or narrow-leaved sundrops, is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family.

<i>Oenothera rosea</i> Species of plant

Oenothera rosea, also known as rosy evening-primrose, rose evening primrose, pink evening primrose, or Rose of Mexico, is a plant belonging to the genus Oenothera and native to northern Mexico and Texas.

<i>Oenothera elata</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera elata is a species of Oenothera known by the common name Hooker's evening primrose or tall evening primrose. Subspecies include hookeri, hirsutissima, longisima, jamesii, villosa and elata. It is native to much of western and central North America. The plants are quite tall, especially the hookeri subspecies, native to California, which can reach about 1.8 meters height. The plants are found along roadsides, in moist meadows, or woodland, from sea level up to 9,000 ft (2,700 m) in elevation.

<i>Oenothera suffrutescens</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera suffrutescens is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known as scarlet beeblossom and scarlet gaura.

<i>Oenothera perennis</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera perennis is a species of flowering plant in the family Onagraceae and is native to the eastern United States and Canada. Its common names include little evening primrose, small sundrops, and small evening primrose. Its native habitats include shaly slopes, moist or dry fields, pastures and roadsides. Oenothera perennis is a perennial herb. It has yellow flowers that open during the day and close at night. Each flower has four petals that are notched at the tip with veins radiating from the base.

<i>Oenothera californica</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera californica, known by the common name California evening primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family.

<i>Oenothera glazioviana</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera glazioviana is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common names large-flowered evening-primrose and redsepal evening primrose. Oenothera lamarckiana was formerly believed to be a different species, but is now regarded as a synonym of Oe. glazioviana.

<i>Ranunculus eschscholtzii</i> Species of flowering plant

Ranunculus eschscholtzii is a species of buttercup flower known by the common name Eschscholtz's buttercup.

<i>Oenothera macrocarpa</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera macrocarpa, the bigfruit evening primrose, Ozark sundrops, Missouri evening primrose, or Missouri primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family Onagraceae, native to northeast Mexico and the south-central United States, where it is found in calcareous prairies and limestone outcrops.

<i>Ranunculus abortivus</i> Species of flowering plant

Ranunculus abortivus is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Its common names include littleleaf buttercup, small-flower crowfoot, small-flowered buttercup, and kidneyleaf buttercup. It is widespread across much of North America, found in all ten Canadian provinces as well as Yukon and the Northwest Territories, and most of the United States, except Hawaii, Oregon, California, and parts of the Southwest.

<i>Oenothera albicaulis</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera albicaulis is a New World plant in the evening primrose family. It is known by the common names prairie evening-primrose, white-stem evening-primrose, whitish evening primrose, or whitest evening primrose.

<i>Ranunculus hispidus</i> Species of flowering plant

Ranunculus hispidus is a species of perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. It is commonly known as bristly buttercup or hispid buttercup. It is a small plant native to central and eastern North America that grows to a height up to 30 cm (1 ft) and has 5-petaled yellow flowers.

<i>Ranunculus fascicularis</i> Species of plant

Ranunculus fascicularis, commonly called early buttercup, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It is native to the eastern North America, where it is found in Canada and the United States. It is generally widespread in eastern North America, although its populations become sporadic in areas east of the Appalachian Mountains and south of New England. Its natural habitat is in dry areas with sparse vegetation, such as rocky or sandy bluffs, prairies, and savannas.

<i>Oenothera versicolor</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera versicolor, the red evening-primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Onagraceae, native to South America, from Peru and Ecuador down to Bolivia and Northern Argentina This species is not as common in cultivation as other members of the genus but popular cultivars including 'Sunset Boulevard' are grown in gardens around the temperate world as the plant is hardy down to at least −10 °C (14 °F).

References

  1. "Oenothera speciosa". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Oenothera speciosa Nutt.". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 7 December 2014 via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  3. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  4. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Oenothera speciosa". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  5. Zlatkov, Boyan; Beshkov, Stoyan; Ganeva, Tsveta (7 Dec 2017). "Oenothera speciosa versus Macroglossum stellatarum: killing beauty". Arthropod-Plant Interactions. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. 12 (3): 395–400. doi:10.1007/s11829-017-9588-3. ISSN   1872-8855.
  6. Jelitto / Schacht / Feßler (1985): The Outdoor Jewelry Shrubs. Ulmer, Stuttgart, ISBN   3-8001-6156-7.

Further reading