Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
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]
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]
