Herbs strigillose and/or glandular puberulent, espe­cially in inflorescence. Stems 10–35 cm. Leaves often clustered toward base, 1–9 × 0.2–1.4 cm; petiole 0–4.5 cm; blade narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate or oblanceolate, margins subentire to sparsely denticulate. Inflorescences relatively leafless. Flowers: floral tube (2–)4–8 mm; petals white, 3–7 mm. Capsules flexuous-contorted, apex often curved downward, 1–1.6 mm diam. near base. Seeds dimorphic.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–Aug.
Habitat: Sandy or gravelly slopes and washes, creosote desert shrublands, pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Elevation: 400–2400 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Calif.

Discussion

Subspecies desertorum is intermediate geograph­i­cally and morphologically between subspp. condensata and decorticans (P. H. Raven 1969). Populations from Inyo County, where they grow on limestone, have relatively small flowers and lax inflorescences, which gives them a distinctive appearance; these were named Oenothera boothii subsp. inyoensis. Very extensive intergra­dation between them and more typical subsp. desertorum caused Raven to consider them part of subsp. desertorum.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.