Tall yellow flowers turn white, at Lost Lagoon

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by wcutler, Jul 26, 2018.

  1. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I thought this plant very curious - the flowers on top were yellow, maybe 2cm in diameter, but along the stem were all these very white spent flowers. It's about a meter tall, narrow opposite leaves on somewhat purple stems. At Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park in Vancouver.
    TallYellowUnknown_LostLagoon-StanleyPark_Cutler_20180725_135851.jpg TallYellowUnknown_LostLagoon-StanleyPark_Cutler_20180725_140104.jpg TallYellowUnknown_LostLagoon-StanleyPark_Cutler_20180725_140231.jpg TallYellowUnknown_LostLagoon-StanleyPark_Cutler_20180725_140304.jpg TallYellowUnknown_LostLagoon-StanleyPark_Cutler_20180725_140318.jpg
     
  2. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    try evening primrose.
     
  3. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Yes, thank you! But now I wonder which one. I posted Oenothera biennis from UBCBG (Last day of August in the UBC garden) last year, and can usually recognize that. I didn't recognize this at all, maybe because there were no open flowers. I don't see descriptions of Oenothera flowers fading to white, or mentioning reddish stems. The E-flora BC page for Oenothera villosa shows red stems. E-Flora BC Atlas Page. There are two subspecies for that, one native and the other not.
     
  4. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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  5. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Thanks, @Silver surfer.
    This Minnesota Seasons - common evening primrose page has a photo that shows the whitish spent flowers and red stem of Oenothera biennis. The E-flora BC says the inflorescence is a dense spike, whereas O. villosa has a few-flowered open spike. I would call this a dense spike. Someone can correct me if it isn't O. biennis.

    Here are two close-ups, of leaves showing quite serrated edges, and the fruit capsules.
    Oenothera-biennis_LostLagoon-StanleyPark_Cutler_20180807_125417.jpg Oenothera-biennis_LostLagoon-StanleyPark_Cutler_20180807_125641.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2018

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