''Gaura'' was a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s in the family
Onagraceae, native to
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. The name was derived from
Greek ''(gaûros)'' meaning "superb" and named in reference to the stature and floral display of some species in this genus. The genus included many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Genetic research showed that the genus was
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
unless the monotypic genus ''Stenosiphon'' is included within ''Gaura'', increasing the number of species in the genus to 22.
[Raven P. H., & Gregory, D. P. (1972). A revision of the genus Gaura (Onagraceae). ''Mem. Torrey Bot. Club'' 23: 1-96.][Carr, B. L., Crisci, J. V., & Hoch, P. C. (1990). A cladistic analysis of the genus ''Gaura'' (Onagraceae). ''Systematic Botany'' 15 (3): 454-461.] ''Gaura'' is now a synonym of ''
Oenothera'',
[ with the bulk of the ''Gaura'' taxa in genus ''Oenothera'' sect. ''Gaura'' .][
Gauras are annual, biennial or ]perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
plants; most are perennials with sturdy rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
s, often forming dense thickets, crowding or shading out other plant species. They have a basal rosette of leaves, with erect or spreading flowering stems up to 2 m (rarely more) tall, leafy on the lower stem, branched and leafless on the upper stem. The flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s have four (rarely three) petals; they are zygomorphic, with all the petals directed somewhat upwards. The fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
is an indehiscent nut-like body containing reddish-brown seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
s. It reproduces via seeds and also by rhizome growth.[
;Species formerly in ''Gaura''
*'']Gaura angustifolia
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic genu ...
''
*''Gaura biennis
''Oenothera gaura'', formerly known as ''Gaura biennis'', the biennial gaura or biennial beeblossom, is a North American flowering plant that can reach in height at maturity. Its upper half is made up of flowering stems, which are covered with s ...
''
*''Gaura boquillensis
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic ge ...
''
*''Gaura brachycarpa
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic genu ...
''
*''Gaura calcicola
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic genu ...
''
*''Gaura coccinea
''Oenothera suffrutescens'' (syn. ''Gaura coccinea'') is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known as scarlet beeblossom and scarlet gaura.
Distribution
The plant is native to much of North America, especially the wester ...
''
*''Gaura demareei
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic genu ...
''
*''Gaura drummondii
''Oenothera xenogaura'' (known as ''Gaura drummondii'' prior to 2007), is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common names Drummond's beeblossom and scented gaura. It is native to Mexico and its range extend ...
''
*''Gaura filipes
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic ge ...
''
*''Gaura hexandra
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyly, paraphyletic unless the mon ...
''
*''Gaura lindheimeri
''Oenothera lindheimeri'', commonly known as Lindheimer's beeblossom, white gaura, pink gaura, Lindheimer's clockweed, and Indian feather, is a species of ''Oenothera''.
The perennial plant is native to southern Louisiana and Texas.USDA Plants ...
''
*''Gaura linifolia
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic ge ...
'' (syn. ''Stenosiphon linifolius'')
*''Gaura longiflora
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic ge ...
''
*''Gaura macrocarpa
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic ge ...
''
*''Gaura mckelveyae
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic ge ...
''
*''Gaura mutabilis
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic ge ...
''
*''Gaura neomexicana
''Gaura neomexicana'' is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name New Mexico beeblossom. It is native to the west central United States.
There are two subspecies of this species. One, the rare Colorad ...
''
*''Gaura parviflora
''Oenothera curtiflora'' (syn. ''Gaura parviflora''), known as velvetweed, velvety gaura, downy gaura, or smallflower gaura, is a species of flowering plant native to the central United States and northern Mexico, from Nebraska and Wyoming south ...
'' (syn. ''G. mollis'')
*''Gaura sinuata
''Oenothera sinuosa'' is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common names wavyleaf beeblossom and Red River gaura. The species was previously treated as ''Gaura sinuata'', but in 2007 the species, along with ...
''
*''Gaura suffulta
''Oenothera suffulta'', known as roadside gaura, honeysuckle gaura, or kisses, is a flowering plant in the primrose family, Onagraceae. It is endemism, endemic to the United States, in Texas (excluding the Trans-Pecos) and southern Oklahoma.
Tax ...
''
*''Gaura triangulata
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic genu ...
''
*''Gaura villosa
''Gaura'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. The genus includes many species known commonly as beeblossoms. Recent genetic research has shown that the genus is paraphyletic unless the monotypic genu ...
''
Several species of the former ''Gaura'' are regarded as noxious weed
A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...
s, especially in disturbed or overgrazed areas where it easily takes hold. They can become a nuisance in situations involving disturbed habitat, such as trampled rangeland and clearings. Efforts to control ''Gaura'' focus mainly on prevention of misuse of land. There is no biological control method for plants of genus ''Gaura'', and removing existing infestations is difficult, due in large part to the plants' ability to reproduce from bits of rhizome left in the ground.[EncycloWeedia]
Genus ''Gaura''
/ref>
Despite the poor reputation of these plants, some species are cultivated as garden plants, such as ''G. lindheimeri'' (white gaura).
Synonymy
In 2007, Warren L. Wagner, Peter C. Hoch, and Peter H. Raven published a ''Revised Classification of the Onagraceae'',[Onagraceae]
Wagner,W.L et al. ''Revised Classification of the Onagraceae'' (2007) which moved the bulk of the ''Gaura'' taxa into genus '' Oenothera'' sect. ''Gaura'' and made ''Gaura'' a synonym of ''Oenothera''.[''Gaura'']
Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 13 Dec 2011 The following table shows where the ''Gaura'' taxa have been placed.[''Oenothera'']
Wagner, W. L. and P. C. Hoch. 2005-
Onagraceae, The Evening Primrose Family.
2011-12-07[''Oenothera'']
USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) 2011-12-13
References
{{Authority control
Onagraceae genera
Historically recognized angiosperm genera