Oenothera biennis
 
Yellow Evening-Primrose

Middle Stem

Last Mountain Lake Regional Park
06-August-2010

Note there are many appressed, short hairs along with a few long ones arising from reddish pustules.

Biennis: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this species. 

plants with leafy stems; NOT [plants lacking leafy stems, leaves forming a rosette]

plant usually NOT much-branched

plants herbaceous; NOT [plants suffrutescent, usually with several slender stems]

stems green or reddish; NOT [stems white, shreddy], NOT [plants with brown woody stems]

stems taller; NOT [stems 3-10 cm tall]

stems stout; NOT [stems slender]

flower buds erect; NOT [flower buds nodding]

flowers larger; NOT [flowers minute]

petals more than 5 mm long; NOT [petals 1-3 mm long]

flowers yellow; NOT [flowers white or pinkish]

stigma deeply 4-cleft

capsules rounded on the angles, not winged; NOT [capsules 4-angled, winged]

 

Oenothera: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus. 

hypanthium prolonged beyond the ovary

flower parts in 4?s; NOT [flower parts in 2?s]

sepals commonly reflexed; NOT [sepals erect]

petals yellow, white or pink; NOT [petals purplish]

anthers attached near their middle, usually versatile; NOT [anthers attached near their base, erect]

ovary 4-loculed; NOT [ovary2-loculed]

fruit a capsule; NOT [fruit nut-like]

fruit opening by valves; NOT [fruit indehiscent]

fruit opening with 4 valves; NOT [capsules opening with 2 valves]

fruit NOT covered with hooks; NOT [fruit covered with hooked bristles]

seeds lacking a coma; NOT [seeds with a tuft of hairs (coma) at one end]

fruit many-seeded; NOT [fruit 1-seeded]

 

Onagraceae: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora  leading to this family. 

herbs; NOT [shrubs or trees]

plants terrestrial; NOT [plants aquatic; leaves submerged or floating], NOT [mud plants with small axillary flowers]

plants NOT with colored milky juice

plants with more than one normal leaf

leaves without stipules, or having glands; NOT [leaves with stipules]

plants without large petal-like bracts; NOT [plants with an involucre of 4 petal-like bracts]

flowers with two floral rings, and with each petal distinct from the others]

parts of flowers in twos or fours; NOT [parts of flowers mostly in fives]

calyx regular; NOT [calyx irregular, some sepals smaller than others]

stamens 10 or fewer; NOT [stamens usually more than 10]

styles single; NOT [styles 2 or more]

ovary inferior; NOT [ovary superior]