''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
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and its range extends into
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. It can be found in parts of the southern and southwestern United States where it is an
introduced species
An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...
and is a minor weed in some areas. This is a mat-forming perennial herb growing from
rhizomes. Stems reach 10 or 12 centimeters in height can be plentiful and tightly clumped. Leaves are about one to nine centimeters long and linear to slightly oval-shaped. The stems and foliage are covered in hairs. The plant produces small spike
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
s with centimeter-long
sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...
s and smaller spoon-shaped petals which are white, fading to pink. The fruit is an erect, woody capsule about a centimeter long with a base shaped like a stalk with a bulge at the center.
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment
xenogaura
Flora of the United States
Flora of Mexico
{{Myrtales-stub