Camissoniopsis ignota
Jurupa hills sun cup
(c) Laura Camp, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Onagraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Camissoniopsis ignota (Jurupa hills sun cup) is a native California herb in the Onagraceae family, recognized by reddish color, fleshy stems, and long highly-coiled fruits.
Jurupa hills sun cup is a California native annual found in central Sierra Nevada foothills, central western, and southwestern California in clay fields, coastal-sage scrub, chaparral, and mountain slopes at elevations of 100 to 1,100 meters. Flowering from March to August, this plant produces yellow flowers approximately 4.8 to 8 millimeters long. Growing with ascending or erect stems up to 55 centimeters tall that are somewhat fleshy and reddish, it has a rosetted habit with minutely strigose texture. Its narrow leaves are elliptic to ovate, less than 60 millimeters long with finely serrated edges and petioles shorter than 25 millimeters. The fruit is a slender cylindric capsule 20 to 30 millimeters long that dries with four distinct angles and may coil slightly.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 15 sympatric species; distinguished by reddish color, fleshy stems, and long highly-coiled fruits
Habitat and range
Habitat: Generally clay fields, slopes in coastal-sage scrub or chaparral, sandy soils in mountains
Elevation: 100-1100 m
Outside California: northern Baja California
Bloom period
Camissoniopsis ignota blooms Mar-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Camissonia: Camissoniopsis flowers from base with four-angled fruits; Camissonia flowers from top with round fruits.; vs Oenothera: Camissoniopsis has four-angled fruits; Oenothera has round fruits and a distinctive 4-lobed cross-shaped stigma.; vs Taraxia: Camissoniopsis has four-angled fruits and flowers from base; Taraxia has round fruits.; vs Tetrapteron: Camissoniopsis has four-angled fruits; Tetrapteron has four-winged fruits.; vs Eulobus: Camissoniopsis has four-angled fruits; Eulobus has wand-like stems with red-flecked petals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Camissoniopsis ignota native to California?
Yes. Camissoniopsis ignota is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Camissoniopsis ignota bloom?
Camissoniopsis ignota blooms Mar-Aug.
What plant family does Camissoniopsis ignota belong to?
Camissoniopsis ignota is in the Onagraceae family, genus Camissoniopsis.
What habitat does Camissoniopsis ignota grow in?
Camissoniopsis ignota grows in Generally clay fields, slopes in coastal-sage scrub or chaparral, sandy soils in mountains.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.