General: Scarlet Gaura (Gaura coccinea) is an upright subshrub that tends to grow from a single point with straight stems radiating upward. The leaves are long and narrow with wavy margins and a white central vein. The flowers are white with five widely spread petals that open to a flat face. As the flowers age, they crumple and turn red. The stamens and pistil are long and hang way out.

Scarlet Gaura is a fairly common component of vegetation communities in dry, well-drained gravelly areas on bajadas into the lower mountains in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zone.

Around Las Vegas, look for Scarlet Gaura on hillsides and flats at Red Rock Canyon NCA, the Sheep Range, and the Gold Butte region.

Family: Evening Primrose (Onagraceae)