Gaura sinuata
Encyclopedia
Gaura sinuata is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family
known by the common names wavyleaf beeblossom and Red River gaura. It is native to Mexico
and its native range extends as far north into the United States as Oklahoma
. It can be found across the southern half of the United States where it is an introduced species
and occasionally weedy. This is a tough mat-forming perennial herb with branching, sprawling stems 20 to 60 centimeters long and covered in hairs. The leaves are 1 to 10 centimeters long and are generally toothed along the edges. The plant produces spike inflorescence
s of small flowers with white to pinkish spoon-shaped petals which darken as they age, often to a deep red. The fruit is a winged, woody capsule with a tapered end, up to 1.5 centimeters in length.
Onagraceae
Onagraceae, also known as the Willowherb family or Evening Primrose family, are a family of flowering plants. The family includes about 640-650 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees in 20-24 genera...
known by the common names wavyleaf beeblossom and Red River gaura. It is native to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and its native range extends as far north into the United States as Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. It can be found across the southern half of the United States where it is an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
and occasionally weedy. This is a tough mat-forming perennial herb with branching, sprawling stems 20 to 60 centimeters long and covered in hairs. The leaves are 1 to 10 centimeters long and are generally toothed along the edges. The plant produces spike inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s of small flowers with white to pinkish spoon-shaped petals which darken as they age, often to a deep red. The fruit is a winged, woody capsule with a tapered end, up to 1.5 centimeters in length.