Camissonia campestris

Field primrose

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Field primrose is a California native annual found in various habitats across the state, growing at moderate elevations. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces bright yellow flowers that fade to reddish tones, with petals 5 to 15 millimeters long and distinctive basal spots. Growing with slender stems 5 to 25 centimeters tall that may be decumbent or erect and tend to peel, it has a delicate appearance. Its narrow leaves range from 5 to 30 millimeters long, linear to oblanceolate in shape, with fine to coarse serrated edges. The fruit is notably distinctive, measuring 20 to 43 millimeters long and alternately narrow and swollen where seeds develop, creating an interesting textural profile.

California counties: Kern, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Inyo, Riverside, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Madera, Stanislaus, Merced, Fresno, Tulare, Contra Costa, San Benito, Kings, San Joaquin, Orange, San Diego, Monterey

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