Entry for Oenothera tetraptera Cav. [family ONAGRACEAE]
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora Zambesiaca
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
FZ, Vol 4, Part 0, page 329, (1978) Author: P. H. Raven
Names
Oenothera tetrapteraCav. [family ONAGRACEAE], Ic. Pl. 3: 40, t. 279 (1796).—Burtt Davy, F.P.F.T.: 202 (1926).—R. & A. Fernandes in C.F.A. 4: 202 (1970). Type from Mexico.
Information
Perennial herb, often flowering the first year, with numerous stems commonly 15–40 cm. tall from a somewhat woody caudex. Plants covered with long spreading hairs throughout, and also with shorter appressed hairs. Leaves 3–10 cm. long, oblanceolate or elliptical, the basal ones usually sinuate-pinnatifid, the cauline ones irregularly sinuate-pinnatifid in outline to entire, much reduced in size; petioles mostly less than 1 cm. long. Inflorescence erect, the flowers in the axils of much reduced leaves. Flowers opening near sunset. Floral tube 8–10 mm. long. Sepals 2–3 cm. long, usually coherent and deflexed to one side in anthesis. Petals 2·5–3·5 cm. long or as short as 1·4 cm. late in the season, white, fading purplish, broadly obovate. Anthers 5–6 mm. long, the filaments 1–1·5 cm. long. Style held above the anthers at anthesis; stigma with linear lobes 4–8 mm. long. Capsule clavate, 10–15 × 6–8 mm., with prominent wings 2–3 mm. wide, the base gradually narrowed into a hollow, ribbed stipe 5–25 mm. long. Seeds c. 1·3 mm. long, light brown, obovoid, in 2 rows in each locule. Chromosome number n=7. Self compatible.
Range
Native from Texas to northern S. America. In F.Z. area, introduced and weedy locally around Salisbury, Rusape and Umtali. Common in S. Africa.
