Camissonia benitensis

San benito evening-primrose, San Benito Evening-Primrose

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Delisted

San benito evening-primrose is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in south-central interior California regions of Fresno, Monterey, and San Benito counties in woodland and chaparral with sandy serpentine and graywacke soils at elevations of 600 to 1,200 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces yellow flowers that fade to reddish, with small basal spots and delicate petals 3.5 to 4 millimeters long. Growing with slender erect or decumbent stems 3 to 20 centimeters tall, it has widely spreading wiry branches and two distinct types of hairs – linear white and rod-shaped transparent. Its narrow leaves measure 7 to 20 millimeters long, elliptic in shape with fine serrated edges. The fruit is a thin capsule 15 to 40 millimeters long, slightly swollen with seeds and appearing either straight or gently wavy.

Habitat: Woodland, chaparral, sandy serpentine and graywacke soils

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: +- 600-1200 m.

Bioregions: SCoRI (Fresno, Monterey, San Benito cos.).

California counties: San Benito

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.