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pale sun cup

golden suncup, Mojave suncup, yellow cups

Habit Herbs slender, usually branched distally, usually strigillose, sometimes also villous proximally. Herbs annual, moderately to densely villous, sometimes strigillose.
Stems

branched, 3–75 cm.

Leaves

primarily in basal rosette, cauline greatly reduced when present, 6–14 × 1.5–3.5 cm;

petiole 1.5–4(–11) cm;

blade pinnately lobed or lateral lobes greatly reduced or absent, often mixed on same plant, terminal lobe usually ovate, rarely elliptic, 2.5–6.9 × 1.5–7 cm, margins irregularly dentate, oil cells on abaxial surface inconspicuous.

Racemes

nodding, mostly elongating after flowers.

Flowers

buds not individually reflexed, without free tips or with apical free tips less than 1 mm;

floral tube yellow inside, 4–5 mm;

petals often with red dots near base, fading yellow to orange, 7–12 mm;

anthers 4–6 mm.

opening at sunrise;

buds sometimes individually reflexed, without free tips or with subapical free tips 1–2 mm, or with minute, apical free tips less than 1 mm;

floral tube 3–8 mm, densely short-villous inside proximally;

sepals 5–9 mm;

petals bright yellow, sometimes with red dots at base, fading yellow to orange or reddish, 3–18 mm;

stamens subequal, filaments 3–6 mm, anthers 2.5–6 mm, ciliate;

style 10–18 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

Capsules

20–42 mm;

pedicel 2–10 mm.

ascending or spreading, oblong-cylindrical, 18–92 mm;

pedicel 2–20 mm.

Seeds

1–1.5 mm.

2n

= 14.

Chylismia brevipes subsp. pallidula

Chylismia brevipes

Phenology Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Dry flats, desert pavement, with Ambrosia dumosa and Larrea.
Elevation 70–1100 m. (200–3600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT
[BONAP county map]
sw United States
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies pallidula occurs in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts from Washington County, Utah, to southeastern Inyo County, California, south to Riverside County, California, Mohave County, Arizona, and Clark County, Nevada. It hybridizes with Chylismia claviformis subspp. aurantiaca and peeblesii, as well as with C. multijuga.

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

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

P. H. Raven (1962, 1969) determined this species to be self-incompatible.

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

Key
1. Flower buds individually reflexed; petals often fading reddish, 3–8 mm.
subsp. arizonica
1. Flower buds not individually reflexed; petals fading yellow to orange, 6–18 mm.
→ 2
2. Plants stout, villous; buds with subapical free tips 1–2 mm; petals usually without red dots at base.
subsp. brevipes
2. Plants slender, usually strigillose, sometimes also villous proximally; buds with apical free tips 0–1 mm; petals often with red dots near base.
subsp. pallidula
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Chylismia > sect. Chylismia > Chylismia brevipes Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Chylismia > sect. Chylismia
Sibling taxa
C. brevipes subsp. arizonica, C. brevipes subsp. brevipes
C. arenaria, C. atwoodii, C. cardiophylla, C. claviformis, C. confertiflora, C. eastwoodiae, C. exilis, C. heterochroma, C. megalantha, C. multijuga, C. munzii, C. parryi, C. scapoidea, C. specicola, C. walkeri
Subordinate taxa
C. brevipes subsp. arizonica, C. brevipes subsp. brevipes, C. brevipes subsp. pallidula
Synonyms Oenothera brevipes var. pallidula, Camissonia brevipes subsp. pallidula, O. brevipes subsp. pallidula, O. pallidula Oenothera brevipes, Camissonia brevipes
Name authority (Munz) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 206. (2007) (A. Gray) Small: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 194. (1896) — (as Chylisma)
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