Camissoniopsis pallida subsp. pallida

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Pale evening primrose is a California native annual found in southern San Joaquin Valley (Kern County), northern Santa Barbara Mountains, and desert regions in desert slopes, flats, washes, creosote-bush scrub, and pinyon/juniper woodland at elevations of 30 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from March to August, this delicate plant produces pale yellow to white flowers with petals 2 to 6.5 millimeters long. Growing with slender, often spreading stems less than 30 centimeters tall, it forms loose, open clusters in arid landscapes. Its leaves are typically narrow and somewhat elongated, arranged alternately along the stem with variable shapes adapting to the harsh desert environment. The small flower's hypanthium measures 1 to 3 millimeters, with sepals ranging from 1.5 to 5.5 millimeters in length.

Habitat: Desert slopes, flats, washes, creosote-bush scrub to pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: Mar-Aug

Elevation: 30-1800 m

Bioregions: s SnJV (Kern Co.), n slope SnBr, D

California counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Inyo, Kern, San Diego, Imperial, Tulare

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