The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

golden suncup, Mojave suncup, yellow cups

Habit Herbs perennial, base sometimes woody, glabrous or sparsely villous proximally. Herbs annual, moderately to densely villous, sometimes strigillose.
Stems

with several divergent branches from base, 10–50 cm.

branched, 3–75 cm.

Leaves

primarily in basal rosette and cauline, 3–20 × 0.7–2.5 cm;

petiole 0.5–4 cm;

blade pinnately or bipinnately lobed, terminal lobe ovate to elliptic, 0.4–2.5 × 0.3–1.5 cm, margins irregularly serrate, dark brown oil cells prominently lining veins abaxially.

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

erect, elongating after anthesis.

nodding, mostly elongating after flowers.

Flowers

opening at sunrise;

buds individually reflexed, with apical free tips less than 1 mm;

floral tube 1.5–2 mm, glabrous inside;

sepals 2–5 mm;

petals bright yellow, with red dots near base, fading pale lavender, 2–6 mm;

stamens unequal, filaments of antisepalous stamens 1.5–3 mm, those of antipetalous ones 1–2 mm, anthers 1.2–2 mm, glabrous;

style 4–7 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.

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

spreading to ascending, oblong-cylindrical, 8–20 mm;

pedicel 6–10 mm.

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

pedicel 2–20 mm.

Seeds

0.6–1 mm.

1–1.5 mm.

Chylismia specicola

Chylismia brevipes

Distribution
Arizona
[BONAP county map]
sw United States
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

P. H. Raven (1962, 1969) thought that this species is most likely self-compatible but primarily outcrossing.

(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. Leaf blades and styles glabrous; herbs ± woody at base.
subsp. specicola
1. Leaf blades and styles villous, at least at base; herbs not woody.
subsp. hesperia
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 Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Chylismia > sect. Chylismia
Sibling taxa
C. arenaria, C. atwoodii, C. brevipes, C. cardiophylla, C. claviformis, C. confertiflora, C. eastwoodiae, C. exilis, C. heterochroma, C. megalantha, C. multijuga, C. munzii, C. parryi, C. scapoidea, C. walkeri
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. specicola subsp. hesperia, C. specicola subsp. specicola
C. brevipes subsp. arizonica, C. brevipes subsp. brevipes, C. brevipes subsp. pallidula
Synonyms Oenothera specicola, Camissonia specicola Oenothera brevipes, Camissonia brevipes
Name authority (P. H. Raven) W. L. Wagner & Hoch: Syst. Bot. Monogr. 83: 208. (2007) (A. Gray) Small: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 194. (1896) — (as Chylisma)
Web links