21 August 2024
Once I took this picture at Hays Woods yesterday, I knew the plant’s title — biennial gaura — however only for enjoyable I requested PictureThis to establish it. It stated “Biennial Gaura, a species of Night Primrose.” Night Primrose was a shock. I didn’t assume they had been associated.
Frequent night primrose (Oenothera biennis) has 4 evenly spaced petals with stamens and pistil within the center. Although the flower seems to be open right here, it really opens extra broadly within the night.
Biennial gaura (Oenothera gaura) additionally has 4 petals however they’re all on one aspect of the stem with stamens and pistil drooping under. The form of the flower appears to be like “irregular” to me and “night” doesn’t appear to use both. The flower appears to be like prefer it stays open all day.
Nevertheless, research of the previous genus Gaura brought about all of it to be absorbed into Oenothera (Night Primrose ) in 2007. The rationale I used to be stunned 17 years later is that my hardback copy of Newcomb’s Wildflower Information was printed in 1997. I ought to rely extra on apps lately.
Listed here are extra images of each flowers for additional comparability.
Each vegetation are weedy species so that they’re fairly straightforward to search out within the discipline. Search for widespread night primrose in sunny or largely sunny locations, usually alongside trails. Biennial gaura desires full solar and dry, even rocky, soil. I see it within the powerline lower at Hays Woods.
Word that biennial gaura flowers are a lot smaller than night primrose. Tiny however lovely.
