Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia

Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia, the beach suncup or beach evening primrose, is a species of the evening primrose family and is native to open dunes and sandy soils of coastal California, Baja California and Oregon.

Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Onagraceae
Genus: Camissoniopsis
Species:
C. cheiranthifolia
Binomial name
Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia
Synonyms
  • Agassizia cheiranthifolia (Hornem. ex Spreng.) Spach
  • Camissonia cheiranthifolia (Hornem. ex Spreng.) Raim.
  • Holostigma cheiranthifolium (Hornem. ex Spreng.) Spach
  • Oenothera cheiranthifolia Hornem. ex Spreng.

Description

The beach suncup grows prostrate along the beach surface, forming mats more than 1 m across. It forms long stems growing from a central crown, lined with silvery grey-green leaves. The prostrate form and swinging stems allow the plant to survive well on the windy, shifting sands of the coast. The four-petalled flowers open in the morning (typical among suncups) and are bright yellow, fading to reddish.

Taxonomy

This plant is a well-defined diploid (2n = 14) species that has varying floral traits over its geographic distribution.[1]

The specific epithet cheiranthifolia refers to the leaves having the appearance of Cheiranthus, an old name for a wallflower genus.[2]

Beach evening primrose flowers

The two subspecies are:

  • Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia subsp. cheiranthifolia – A perennial herb that rarely has dense and silvery hairs, distributed from the Channel Islands to Oregon. This subspecies is generally self-pollinated.[3]
  • Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia subsp. suffruticosa (S.Watson) W.L.Wagner & Hoch – A subshrub that generally has dense and silvery hairs, distributed from Baja California to Point Conception. This species is usually cross-pollinated and self-incompatible, and it hybridizes widely with Camissoniopsis bistorta.[4]

Distribution and habitat

This species grows on the coastal dunes and sandy soils from southern Oregon through California and southwards towards El Rosario in Baja California.[5]

References
  1. Dart, Sara R.; Samis, Karen E.; Austen, Emily; Eckert, Christopher G. (2012-02-01). "Broad geographic covariation between floral traits and the mating system in Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia (Onagraceae): multiple stable mixed mating systems across the species' range?". Annals of Botany. 109 (3): 599–611. doi:10.1093/aob/mcr266. ISSN 0305-7364.
  2. "Plant of the Month - Beach Evening Primrose". Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  3. Wagner, Warren L. (2012). "Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia subsp. cheiranthifolia". Jepson eFlora. Jepson Flora Project. Archived from the original on 2021-05-18. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. Wagner, Warren L. (2012). "Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia subsp. suffruticosa". Jepson eFlora. Jepson Flora Project. Archived from the original on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  5. Rebman, J. P.; Gibson, J.; Rich, K. (2016). "Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Baja California, Mexico" (PDF). San Diego Society of Natural History. 45: 205.
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