Scientific Family
Onagraceae
Synonyms
Eulobus californicus, Oenothera californica, Oenothera leptocarpa
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
2 to 5 feet
Riparian
No
Produces a basal rosette of leaves and then bolts a slender, erect stem; main stem solitary or sparsely branched with ascending straight branches; young plant sparsely hairy with small glandular hairs, becoming hairless with age.
Annual, slender, taller than wide; basal rosette of narrow leaves, margins pinnately, coarsely lobed, toothed, reduced on stems; flower petals bright yellow, red flecked, 4-petaled, tube very short, stigma head-like, seeds purpled dotted.
Habitat
Rocky, gravelly, sandy and cinder soils of steep slopes, plains and washes.
Plant Community
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
4500
Flower Characteristics
Widely spaced in leaf axils; yellow spotted with red at the base; sepals 1/6 to 1/4 inch; petals 1/4 to 1/2 inch; fading orange, drying pink; style, stigma, anthers, and filaments bright yellow; closes at night, opens in morning.
Flower color
Yellow
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
February
Last bloom month
June
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stem straight, slender, pale gray or green; sparse long and narrow leaves on the stem, basal rosette leaves are wider. Plants leafy and sparsely hairy when young, leafless or nearly so at flowering time.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Capsules 1-1/2 to 3 inches long by 1/16 inch wide, slender, straight to slightly curved, turning downward.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Olive-green
1/16 inch long, olive-green, purple-spotted.