Gaura lindheimeri
| Gaura lindheimeri | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies' | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Onagraceae |
| Genus: | Gaura |
| Species: | G. lindheimeri |
| Binomial name | |
| Gaura lindheimeri Engelm. & A.Gray |
|
Gaura lindheimeri (Lindheimer's Beeblossom, White Gaura, Pink Gaura, Lindheimer's Clockweed) is a species of Gaura native to southern Louisiana and Texas.[1][2] The specific epithet is after Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer, a German-born botanist who collected extensively in Texas for Harvard University professor Asa Gray.
It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 50–150 cm tall, with densely clustered branched stems growing from an underground rhizome. The leaves are finely hairy, lanceolate, 1–9 cm long and 1–13 mm broad, with a coarsely toothed margin. The flowers are produced on a 10–80 cm long inflorescence; they are pink or white, 2–3 cm diameter, with four petals 10–15 mm long and long hairlike stamens, and are produced from the beginning of spring until the first frost.[3][4]
[edit] Cultivation and uses
Gaura lindheimeri is commonly grown as an ornamental plant. Several cultivars have been selected for varying flower color, from nearly pure white (e.g. 'Whirling Butterflies') to darker pink (e.g. 'Cherry Brandy', 'Siskiyou Pink'); in some, the petals are white at dawn then turning pink before falling off at dusk. It is used in either garden beds or pots for accent colour and delicate texture. It grows best in full sun and can survive lengthy periods of drought.
[edit] References
- ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Gaura lindheimeri
- ^ USDA Plants Profile: Gaura lindheimeri
- ^ Munz, P. A. (1938). Studies in Onagraceae XI. A Revision of the Genus Gaura. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 65: 105-122, 211-228.
- ^ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
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[edit] External links
