Camissonia sierrae subsp. sierrae

Yosemite evening-primrose, Yosemite Evening-Primrose

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Yosemite evening-primrose is a California native annual found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains in Madera, Mariposa, and Tuolumne counties within ponderosa-pine and foothill-pine/blue-oak forest at elevations of 500 to 1,300 meters. Flowering from April to June, this delicate plant produces pale yellow flowers with two basal spots, approximately 4 to 7 millimeters across. Growing with slender stems to 30 centimeters tall, it forms a compact and delicate annual herb. Its leaves are narrowly ovate or elliptic with fine minute serrations along the edges, typically light green and somewhat thin. The plant's small hypanthium measuring 1.3 to 2.2 millimeters and distinctive petal spots make it a charming understory species in its forest habitats.

Habitat: Ponderosa-pine or foothill-pine/blue-oak forest

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 500-1300 m

Bioregions: c SN (Madera, Mariposa, Tuolumne cos.).

California counties: Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Tuolumne

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