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Sierra sun cup

Great Basin suncup, Lewis River suncup, tiny sun cup

Habit Herbs glabrous, villous, and glandular puberulent distally. Herbs usually glabrous or densely strigillose, rarely villous (mostly proximally), also often sparsely glandular puberulent, especially distally.
Stems

erect or ascending, slender, wiry, usually many-branched, 5–15 cm.

erect, slender, wiry, often branched, 2–15 cm.

Leaves

proximalmost not clustered near base;

blade usually lanceolateto narrowly ovate, sometimes elliptic, 0.5–1.8 × 0.2–0.5 cm, base rounded, margins inconspicuously serrulate or with 1–several small teeth, apex acute.

proximalmost not clustered near base;

blade linear or linear-filiform, 1–3 × 0.04–0.1 cm, base attenuate, margins subentire, apex acute.

Flowers

opening near sunrise;

floral tube 1–2.2 mm, villous on proximal 1/2 inside;

sepals 1.2–4.2 mm, reflexed in pairs;

petals 2.2–7 mm, each usually with 0 or 2 red dots basally; episepalous filaments 2.4–3.2 mm, epipetalous filaments 1.2–2 mm, anthers 0.6–1.2 mm, pollen with less than 5% of grains 4- or 5-pored;

style 2.8–7 mm, stigma 0.6–0.8 mm diam., surround by, or slightly exserted beyond, anthers at anthesis.

opening near sunrise;

floral tube 1.3–2 mm, glabrate;

sepals 1.5–2.5 mm, reflexed separately;

petals 1.5–3.6 mm, without red dots at base;

filaments 0.5–1 mm, anthers 0.3–0.6 mm, pollen with less than 5% of grains 4- or 5-pored;

style 1.5–3 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

20–30 × 0.5–0.7 mm;

subsessile.

15–28 × 0.6–1 mm;

pedicel 0–2 mm.

Seeds

0.8–1.6 × 0.4–0.6 mm.

0.7–0.8 × 0.4 mm.

2n

= 28.

Camissonia sierrae

Camissonia parvula

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Sandy soils, usually with sagebrush scrub.
Elevation 100–2700 m. (300–8900 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
California
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

P. H. Raven (1969) determined that Camissonia sierrae is self-compatible and outcrossing or autogamous; it is closely related to C. campestris.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

P. H. Raven (1969) determined that Camissonia parvula is a self-compatible tetraploid and autogamous. The species is closely related to C. kernensis and C. pubens.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Sepals 3–4.2 mm; base of petals with 2 red dots; styles 3–7 mm.
subsp. sierrae
1. Sepals 1.2–3 mm; base of petals without red dots; styles 2.8–5 mm.
subsp. alticola
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Camissonia Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Camissonia
Sibling taxa
C. benitensis, C. campestris, C. contorta, C. integrifolia, C. kernensis, C. lacustris, C. parvula, C. pubens, C. pusilla, C. strigulosa
C. benitensis, C. campestris, C. contorta, C. integrifolia, C. kernensis, C. lacustris, C. pubens, C. pusilla, C. sierrae, C. strigulosa
Subordinate taxa
C. sierrae subsp. alticola, C. sierrae subsp. sierrae
Synonyms Oenothera parvula, O. contorta var. flexuosa, Sphaerostigma contortum var. flexuosum, S. filiforme, S. flexuosum, S. parvulum
Name authority P. H. Raven: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 37: 326, figs. 58, 59. (1969) (Nuttall ex Torrey & A. Gray) P. H. Raven: Brittonia 16: 284. (1964)
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