Oenothera curtiflora

Lizard-tail, velvet weed, Velvet Weed

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Lizard-tail is a naturalized annual found in the San Francisco Bay Area and southwestern California in cultivated fields, pastures, and disturbed streambanks at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces pale yellow to white flowers that are small and barely opening, with petals just 1.5 to 3 millimeters long. Growing with erect stems 20 to 200 centimeters tall, it is densely covered in short glandular hairs with occasional long spreading hairs. Its narrow elliptic to ovate leaves are 20 to 125 millimeters long with slightly wavy-toothed edges, creating a delicate textured appearance. The plant produces distinctive fusiform fruits that are 5 to 11 millimeters long, with four angles and eight ribs near the base.

Habitat: Cultivated fields, pastures, disturbed areas, streambanks

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: SnFrB, SW

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.