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pale yellow sun cup

miniature suncup, Spencer primrose

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

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

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

Leaves

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.

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.

Flowers

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.

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.

Capsules

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

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.

Seeds

1–1.5 mm.

0.7–1.1 mm.

2n

= 14.

Camissoniopsis pallida

Camissoniopsis micrantha

Phenology Flowering (Jan–)Mar–Jun(–Sep).
Habitat Coastal strand, coastal sage scrub, chaparral.
Elevation 0–300(–800) m. (0–1000(–2600) ft.)
Distribution
w United States; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

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.)

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. lewisii, C. luciae, C. micrantha, C. robusta
C. bistorta, C. cheiranthifolia, C. confusa, C. guadalupensis, C. hardhamiae, C. hirtella, C. ignota, C. intermedia, C. lewisii, C. luciae, C. pallida, C. robusta
Subordinate taxa
C. pallida subsp. hallii, C. pallida subsp. pallida
Synonyms Sphaerostigma pallidum, Camissonia pallida, Oenothera abramsii, O. micrantha var. abramsii Oenothera micrantha, Camissonia micrantha, Holostigma micranthum, S. micranthum
Name authority (Abrams) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 205. (2007) (Hornemmann ex Sprengel) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 205. (2007)
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