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Lewis' evening-primrose

pale yellow sun cup

Habit Herbs annual, villous, also glandular puberulent distally. Herbs annual, appearing conspicuously grayish, densely strigillose, sometimes also glandular puberulent distally.
Stems

usually several, decumbent, rarely 1 erect stem, 30–60 cm.

usually with decumbent lateral branches from basal rosette, 5–60 cm.

Leaves

1–8 × 0.2–1.1 cm;

petiole 0–3 cm;

blade narrowly lanceolate-elliptic, base cuneate or subcordate, margins denticulate, apex acute.

1–5(–11) × 0.2–0.7(–1.4) cm;

petiole 0–0.2(–0.4) cm, distal ones sessile;

blade lanceolate to narrowly ovate, base often cuneate to truncate, sometimes attenuate, margins sparsely denticulate, apex acute to obtuse.

Flowers

opening near sunrise;

floral tube 1.5–4 m;

sepals 1.7–3.4 mm;

petals yellow, with 1 or 2 red dots basally, 2.5–5.5 mm; episepalous filaments 2–2.8 mm, epipetalous filaments 1–1.7 mm, anthers 0.7–1.2 mm, less than 5% of pollen grains 4- or 5-pored;

style 2.8–4.5 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.

opening near sunrise;

floral tube 1–4.2 mm;

sepals (1.5–)2.5–8 mm;

petals yellow, sometimes with 1–3 red dots basally, (2–)3.5–13 mm; episepalous filaments (0.5–)1.5–6.5 mm, epipetalous filaments (0.2–)0.5–3.8 mm, anthers (0.4–)0.8–2.2 mm, less than 5% of pollen grains 4- or 5-pored;

style (2.1–)3–10.5 mm, stigma surrounded by at least anthers of longer stamens, often by both sets, at anthesis.

Capsules

usually loosely 1-coiled, conspicuously 4-angled in living material, 13–20 × 1.8–2.2 mm.

usually 1–3-coiled spiral, subterete in living material, 4-angled when dry, 13–24 × 0.7–1.2 mm.

Seeds

0.7–0.8 mm.

1–1.5 mm.

2n

= 14.

Camissoniopsis lewisii

Camissoniopsis pallida

Phenology Flowering Mar–May(–Sep).
Habitat Open sandy and clayey grasslands, coastal dunes and beaches.
Elevation 0–300 m. [0–1000 ft.]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
w United States; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Camissoniopsis lewisii occurs from Point Dume and the Los Angeles Basin, Los Angeles County, south to Cardon Grande at the northern edge of Baja California Sur. P. H. Raven (1969) determined C. lewisii to be self-compatible and primarily autogamous, and suggested that this coastal Camissoniopsis may have been derived more or less directly from coastal populations of C. bistorta.

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

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

P. H. Raven (1969) determined Camissoniopsis pallida to be self-compatible and primarily autogamous.

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

Key
1. Floral tube 1–3 mm; petals (2–)3.5–6(–8) mm; styles (2.1–)3–6.5 mm.
subsp. pallida
1. Floral tube 3.8–4.2 mm; petals 6.5–13 mm; styles 6.5–10.5 mm.
subsp. hallii
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Camissoniopsis Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Camissoniopsis
Sibling taxa
C. bistorta, C. cheiranthifolia, C. confusa, C. guadalupensis, C. hardhamiae, C. hirtella, C. ignota, C. intermedia, C. luciae, C. micrantha, C. pallida, C. robusta
C. bistorta, C. cheiranthifolia, C. confusa, C. guadalupensis, C. hardhamiae, C. hirtella, C. ignota, C. intermedia, C. lewisii, C. luciae, C. micrantha, C. robusta
Subordinate taxa
C. pallida subsp. hallii, C. pallida subsp. pallida
Synonyms Camissonia lewisii Sphaerostigma pallidum, Camissonia pallida, Oenothera abramsii, O. micrantha var. abramsii
Name authority (P. H. Raven) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 205. (2007) (Abrams) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 205. (2007)
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