FNA: Camissoniopsis micrantha vs. Camissoniopsis bistorta

	Camissoniopsis micrantha	Camissoniopsis bistorta
	miniature suncup, Spencer primrose	California sun cup, southern suncup
Habit	Herbs annual, densely villous, more densely so distally, also rarely glandular puberulent distally.	Herbs annual, rarely short-lived perennial, usually villous, sometimes strigillose.
Stems	arising from base, usually decumbent, rarely with 1 erect, 15–60 cm.	1–several from base, ascending or decumbent, to 80 cm.
Leaves	1–12 × 0.2–1.7 cm; petiole 0–2 cm, distal ones 0–0.5 cm; blade (basal) narrowly elliptic, (cauline) narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to lanceolate, base (basal) narrowly cuneate, (cauline) rounded, margins denticulate, apex acute.	1.2–12 × 0.2–1.5 cm; petiole 0–4 cm, distal ones 0–0.3 cm; blade (basal) narrowly elliptic or (cauline) usually narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate, rarely linear, base (basal) narrowly cuneate, (cauline) cuneate or subcordate, margins usually sparsely and inconspicuously denticulate, apex acute.
Flowers	opening near sunrise; floral tube 1.2–2 mm; sepals 1–2.2(–2.5) mm; petals yellow, sometimes with 1 or 2 red dots near base, 1.5–3.5(–4.5) mm; episepalous filaments 0.8–1.5 mm, epipetalous filaments 0.5–0.8(–1) mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 mm, less than 5% of pollen grains 4- or 5-pored; style 2–3.5 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.	opening near sunrise; floral tube 2–5(–7.5) mm; sepals (2.3–)5–8(–11) mm; petals yellow, each usually with 1 bright red dot, rarely 2, near base, (4.2–)7–15 mm; episepalous filaments (1–)1.5–3.5 mm, epipetalous filaments (0.5–)1–2.5 mm, anthers (0.5–)1.3–2(–2.5) mm, less than 5% of pollen grains 4- or 5-pored; style (5.5–)7–12 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.
Capsules	straight or curved, equal to or slightly more than 1 complete spiral, subterete in living material, 4-angled when dry, 13–20(–25) × 1.1–1.2(–1.8) mm.	straight or somewhat contorted, weakly 4-angled, 12–40 × 1.5–2.5 mm.
Seeds	0.7–1.1 mm.	0.9–1 mm.
2n	= 14.	= 14.

	Camissoniopsis micrantha	Camissoniopsis bistorta
Phenology	Flowering (Jan–)Mar–Jun(–Sep).	Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat	Coastal strand, coastal sage scrub, chaparral.	Sandy or clayey soils, coastal strands, grasslands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, oak woodlands, margins of Sonoran and Mojave deserts, rarely higher elevation meadows.
Elevation	0–300(–800) m. (0–1000(–2600) ft.)	0–1600(–2600) m. (0–5200(–8500) ft.)
Distribution	CA [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	CA; Mexico (Baja California) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Camissoniopsis micrantha occurs from the vicinity of Bodega Bay, Sonoma County, near Lower Lake, Lake County, and near Rio Vista, Sacramento County, south in the Coast Ranges to the Los Angeles Basin and the northern edge of San Diego County; also on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Santa Catalina islands. The species was introduced, apparently on ballast heaps, at Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Macoun s.n. in 1893, NMC). It has apparently not persisted in this area. P. H. Raven (1969) determined C. micrantha to be self-compatible and primarily autogamous. Excluded populations are now recognized as C. hirtella, C. ignota, C. lewisii, and C. pallida. Oenothera hirta Link (1821), not Linnaeus (1759), is an illegitimate name that pertains to Camissoniopsis micrantha. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	Camissoniopsis bistorta occurs in California from Ventura County south and east through the counties of southern Los Angeles, southwestern San Bernardino, Orange, western Riverside, and the western two-thirds of San Diego, reaching the margins of the desert in San Bernardino and San Diego counties, and southward in cismontane Baja California to Ojos Negros and San Vicente. The species occurs at exceptionally high elevations in the Santa Ana drainage of the San Bernardino Mountains. P. H. Raven (1969) indicated that there were occasional apparent hybrids between C. cheiranthifolia subsp. suffruticosa and C. bistorta occurring in intermediate habitats in areas where the two species co-occur. He determined that C. bistorta is self-incompatible. Camissoniopsis bistorta was apparently introduced with stream gravel in 1959 in Goleta Marsh, Santa Barbara, California, and on ballast heaps at Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in 1893. It has apparently not persisted at either site. Oenothera heterophylla Nuttall ex Hooker & Arnott (1839), not Spach (1836), is an illegitimate name that pertains to Camissoniopsis bistorta. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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. lewisii, C. luciae, C. pallida, C. robusta	C. cheiranthifolia, C. confusa, C. guadalupensis, C. hardhamiae, C. hirtella, C. ignota, C. intermedia, C. lewisii, C. luciae, C. micrantha, C. pallida, C. robusta
Synonyms	Oenothera micrantha, Camissonia micrantha, Holostigma micranthum, S. micranthum	Oenothera bistorta, Camissonia bistorta, O. bistorta var. veitchiana, Sphaerostigma bistortum, S. bistortum var. veitchianum, S. veitchianum
Name authority	(Hornemmann ex Sprengel) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 205. (2007)	(Nuttall ex Torrey & A. Gray) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 204. (2007)
Web links	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Camissoniopsis bistorta

miniature suncup, Spencer primrose

California sun cup, southern suncup

Habit

Herbs annual, densely villous, more densely so distally, also rarely glandular puberulent distally.

Herbs annual, rarely short-lived perennial, usually villous, sometimes strigillose.

Stems

arising from base, usually decumbent, rarely with 1 erect, 15–60 cm.

1–several from base, ascending or decumbent, to 80 cm.

Leaves

1–12 × 0.2–1.7 cm;

petiole 0–2 cm, distal ones 0–0.5 cm;

blade (basal) narrowly elliptic, (cauline) narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to lanceolate, base (basal) narrowly cuneate, (cauline) rounded, margins denticulate, apex acute.

1.2–12 × 0.2–1.5 cm;

petiole 0–4 cm, distal ones 0–0.3 cm;

blade (basal) narrowly elliptic or (cauline) usually narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate, rarely linear, base (basal) narrowly cuneate, (cauline) cuneate or subcordate, margins usually sparsely and inconspicuously denticulate, apex acute.

Flowers

opening near sunrise;

floral tube 1.2–2 mm;

sepals 1–2.2(–2.5) mm;

petals yellow, sometimes with 1 or 2 red dots near base, 1.5–3.5(–4.5) mm; episepalous filaments 0.8–1.5 mm, epipetalous filaments 0.5–0.8(–1) mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 mm, less than 5% of pollen grains 4- or 5-pored;

style 2–3.5 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.

opening near sunrise;

floral tube 2–5(–7.5) mm;

sepals (2.3–)5–8(–11) mm;

petals yellow, each usually with 1 bright red dot, rarely 2, near base, (4.2–)7–15 mm; episepalous filaments (1–)1.5–3.5 mm, epipetalous filaments (0.5–)1–2.5 mm, anthers (0.5–)1.3–2(–2.5) mm, less than 5% of pollen grains 4- or 5-pored;

style (5.5–)7–12 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

straight or curved, equal to or slightly more than 1 complete spiral, subterete in living material, 4-angled when dry, 13–20(–25) × 1.1–1.2(–1.8) mm.

straight or somewhat contorted, weakly 4-angled, 12–40 × 1.5–2.5 mm.

Seeds

0.7–1.1 mm.

0.9–1 mm.

= 14.

Camissoniopsis micrantha

Camissoniopsis bistorta

Phenology

Flowering (Jan–)Mar–Jun(–Sep).

Flowering Mar–Jun.

Habitat

Coastal strand, coastal sage scrub, chaparral.

Sandy or clayey soils, coastal strands, grasslands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, oak woodlands, margins of Sonoran and Mojave deserts, rarely higher elevation meadows.

Elevation

0–300(–800) m. (0–1000(–2600) ft.)

0–1600(–2600) m. (0–5200(–8500) ft.)

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

CA; Mexico (Baja California)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Camissoniopsis micrantha occurs from the vicinity of Bodega Bay, Sonoma County, near Lower Lake, Lake County, and near Rio Vista, Sacramento County, south in the Coast Ranges to the Los Angeles Basin and the northern edge of San Diego County; also on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Santa Catalina islands. The species was introduced, apparently on ballast heaps, at Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Macoun s.n. in 1893, NMC). It has apparently not persisted in this area. P. H. Raven (1969) determined C. micrantha to be self-compatible and primarily autogamous. Excluded populations are now recognized as C. hirtella, C. ignota, C. lewisii, and C. pallida.

Oenothera hirta Link (1821), not Linnaeus (1759), is an illegitimate name that pertains to Camissoniopsis micrantha.

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

Camissoniopsis bistorta occurs in California from Ventura County south and east through the counties of southern Los Angeles, southwestern San Bernardino, Orange, western Riverside, and the western two-thirds of San Diego, reaching the margins of the desert in San Bernardino and San Diego counties, and southward in cismontane Baja California to Ojos Negros and San Vicente. The species occurs at exceptionally high elevations in the Santa Ana drainage of the San Bernardino Mountains. P. H. Raven (1969) indicated that there were occasional apparent hybrids between C. cheiranthifolia subsp. suffruticosa and C. bistorta occurring in intermediate habitats in areas where the two species co-occur. He determined that C. bistorta is self-incompatible.

Camissoniopsis bistorta was apparently introduced with stream gravel in 1959 in Goleta Marsh, Santa Barbara, California, and on ballast heaps at Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in 1893. It has apparently not persisted at either site.

Oenothera heterophylla Nuttall ex Hooker & Arnott (1839), not Spach (1836), is an illegitimate name that pertains to Camissoniopsis bistorta.

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

Source

FNA vol. 10.

Parent taxa

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. lewisii, C. luciae, C. pallida, C. robusta

C. cheiranthifolia, C. confusa, C. guadalupensis, C. hardhamiae, C. hirtella, C. ignota, C. intermedia, C. lewisii, C. luciae, C. micrantha, C. pallida, C. robusta

Synonyms

Oenothera micrantha, Camissonia micrantha, Holostigma micranthum, S. micranthum

Oenothera bistorta, Camissonia bistorta, O. bistorta var. veitchiana, Sphaerostigma bistortum, S. bistortum var. veitchianum, S. veitchianum

Name authority

(Hornemmann ex Sprengel) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 205. (2007)

(Nuttall ex Torrey & A. Gray) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 204. (2007)

Web links

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

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Flora of North America species comparison

Camissoniopsis micrantha

Camissoniopsis bistorta

Camissoniopsis micrantha

Camissoniopsis bistorta