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Brundage, Stephanie

Oenothera suffulta

Oenothera suffulta (Engelm. ex A. Gray) W.L. Wagner & Hoch

Kisses, Wild Honeysuckle, Beeblossom, Roadside Gaura

Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family)

Synonym(s): Gaura suffulta

USDA Symbol: OESU4

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Kisses has 4 petals on the upper side of its flowers and 8 long stamens and 1 pistil on the lower side. The anthers are reddish-brown. This species is a weedy plant 1-3 feet tall with many erect branches growing from the base. Leaves are 1-3 inches long, mostly at the base. Flowers are in spikes, opening from the bottom upward. They vary in color from white to orchid, deep pink, or red, usually turning red as they age. The stamens point downward (248).

Species such as this one, formerly placed in the genus Gaura, are typically rather weedy plants, with leaves borne singly on the stems and frequently in a basal rosette. The flowers are in spikes or racemes, or are branching. They open in the evening. The 4 petals are on the upper side of the flower, giving it a slightly bilateral symmetry. There are normally 8 prominent stamens and 1 pistil; these are on the lower side. The stamens have reddish-brown anthers. The genus is easily recognized, but the species are sometimes difficult, due partly to a great deal of hybridization.

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