Chylismia claviformis subsp. cruciformis

cruciform evening-primrose

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Cruciform evening-primrose is a California native annual found in the Modoc Plateau in sagebrush scrub at elevations of 1,200 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces yellow flowers that fade to purple, with distinctive red-dotted petal bases, generally opening at dawn. Growing with strigose or glandular-hairy stems, it reaches a moderate height with delicate branching. Its leaves feature a terminal leaflet less than 80 millimeters long, ovate to nearly heart-shaped, with several lateral leaflets. The plant's unique combination of dawn-opening flowers and variable hairiness makes it a distinctive element of its high-elevation sagebrush habitat.

Habitat: Sagebrush scrub

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 1200-1600 m

Bioregions: MP

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