Camissonia
Encyclopedia
Camissonia, sometimes commonly known as sun cup or sundrop, is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the evening primrose family Onagraceae
. A total of 12 species are known, nearly all from western North America
, especially in the California Floristic Province
, but also one from South America
. Previous circumscriptions of the genus had recognized up to 62 species before it was split among other closely related genera.
The flowers generally open at dawn, and may be yellow, white, or lavender, often with darker shades at the base. They are usually cup-shaped, thus the common name.
Formerly included in Oenothera
, the species of Camissonia are distinguished by having a club- or head-shaped stigma, instead of the 4-part-divided stigma of Oenothera or Clarkia
.
Camissonia species are used as food plants by the larva
e of some Lepidoptera
species including Schinia cupes
and Schinia deserticola
, both of which feed on C. claviformis, the latter exclusively.
The genus is named after the botanist Adelbert von Chamisso
.
Onagraceae
Onagraceae, also known as the Willowherb family or Evening Primrose family, are a family of flowering plants. The family includes about 640-650 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees in 20-24 genera...
. A total of 12 species are known, nearly all from western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, especially in the California Floristic Province
California Floristic Province
The California Floristic Province is a floristic province with a Mediterranean climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora that bears similarities to floras found in other regions experiencing a winter rainfall, summer drought climate like the Mediterranean...
, but also one from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Previous circumscriptions of the genus had recognized up to 62 species before it was split among other closely related genera.
The flowers generally open at dawn, and may be yellow, white, or lavender, often with darker shades at the base. They are usually cup-shaped, thus the common name.
Formerly included in Oenothera
Oenothera
Oenothera is a Genus of about 125 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous flowering plants, native to North and South America. It is the type genus of the family Onagraceae, the Evening Primrose Family. Common names include evening-primrose, suncups, and sundrops.The species vary in...
, the species of Camissonia are distinguished by having a club- or head-shaped stigma, instead of the 4-part-divided stigma of Oenothera or Clarkia
Clarkia
Clarkia is a genus within the flowering plant family Onagraceae. Over 40 species are currently classified in Clarkia; almost all are native to western North America, though one species is native to South America....
.
Camissonia species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Schinia cupes
Schinia
Schinia, commonly called Flower Moths, is a large genus of moths belonging to the family Noctuidae. The genus has a Holarctic distribution with the vast majority of species being found in North America, many with a very restricted range and larval food plant.-Species Information and Food Plants:...
and Schinia deserticola
Schinia
Schinia, commonly called Flower Moths, is a large genus of moths belonging to the family Noctuidae. The genus has a Holarctic distribution with the vast majority of species being found in North America, many with a very restricted range and larval food plant.-Species Information and Food Plants:...
, both of which feed on C. claviformis, the latter exclusively.
The genus is named after the botanist Adelbert von Chamisso
Adelbert von Chamisso
Adelbert von Chamisso was a German poet and botanist.- Life :He was born Louis Charles Adélaïde de Chamissot at the château of Boncourt at Ante, in Champagne, France, the ancestral seat of his family...
.
Selected species
According to the 2007 monograph of the Onagraceae, the genus includes these 12 species, consisting of 16 taxa:- Camissonia benitensisCamissonia benitensisCamissonia benitensis is a species of evening primrose known by the common name San Benito evening primrose . It is endemic to California, where its range includes far southern San Benito County, far western Fresno County, and far eastern Monterey County...
- Camissonia campestrisCamissonia campestrisCamissonia campestris , is a flowering plant in the family Onagraceae, native to the Mojave Desert of the United States. It grows mostly on open, sandy flats, occurring from sea level to 2,000 m in the western and central part of the desert.It is an annual plant growing to 5-25 cm tall...
(Mojave suncup) - Camissonia contortaCamissonia contortaCamissonia contorta is a species of evening primrose known by the common name plains evening primrose. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Idaho, where it grows in many habitat types. It is an annual herb producing a slender, bending to curling red or green...
- Camissonia dentata
- Camissonia integrifolia
- Camissonia kernensis
- Camissonia lacustrisCamissonia lacustrisCamissonia lacustris is a species of evening primrose known by the common name grassland suncup. It is endemic to California, where it grows on the grasslands of the Sierra Nevada foothills...
- Camissonia parvulaCamissonia parvulaCamissonia parvula is a species of evening primrose known by the common name Lewis River suncup. It is native to the Great Basin of the United States. It grows in sagebrush, woodland, and other Great Basin habitat. It is a slender annual herb producing a wiry erect stem 15 to 30 centimeters in...
- Camissonia pubensCamissonia pubensCamissonia pubens is a species of evening primrose known by the common name hairy suncup. It is native to the desert and steppe of western Nevada and eastern California. It is an annual herb covered in glandular hairs generally made up of one or more erect, slender stems up to a third of a meter tall...
- Camissonia pusillaCamissonia pusillaCamissonia pusilla is a species of evening primrose known by the common name little wiry suncup. It is native to the western United States from California to Idaho, where it grows in sagebrush and other habitat. It is a petite, hairy, glandular annual herb producing very slender erect stems up to...
- Camissonia sierrae
- Camissonia strigulosaCamissonia strigulosaCamissonia strigulosa is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name sandysoil suncup. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in sandy areas, such as beaches and desert. This is an annual herb with a tough, slender, hairy stem which...