Camissonia lacustris

Grassland suncup

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Grassland suncup is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in southern North Coast Ranges Interior and Sierra Nevada Foothills in open grasslands, particularly in Lake County, at elevations of 200 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces yellow flowers that fade to reddish with 4 to 7 millimeter petals, often without basal spots. Growing with slender, wiry stems up to 50 centimeters tall that can be decumbent or erect and have peeling bark, it develops a delicate branching structure. Its leaves are narrow and linear, measuring 8 to 35 millimeters long with fine, minute serrations along the edges. The fruit develops as a slender pod less than 45 millimeters long, which becomes slightly swollen with seeds and can appear straight or slightly wavy.

Habitat: Open grassland

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: on serpentine, 400-600 m; not on serpentine, 200--1600 m

Bioregions: s NCoRI (c Lake Co.), SNF.

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