Onagraceae
Evening Primrose Family
Gaura coccinea Pursh
- Stem: perennial; 1’ to 2’ tall; branched above; hairy.
- Leaves: alternate; oval, 7/8” by 1/4”; some with a large rounded tooth near the base on each side; upper leaves smaller; hairy above and below.
- Inflorescence: spikes at the tip of leafless stalks from the upper branches; flowers very crowded when flowering but 1/4” apart in fruit.
- Flowers: petals red, 3/16” long, attached to 3/16” floral tube atop 1/8” hairy ovary; sepals recurved, 3/16” long; flowering from early June to mid-August.
- Fruits: pear-shaped, four-angled capsules, 5/16” long, hairy; above bracts of the same length; fruiting begins in mid-June.
- Habitat: infrequent on dry Loess Hills prairies.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
