Taraxia subacaulis
Long leaved suncup
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Family: Onagraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Taraxia subacaulis (Long leaved suncup) is a native California herb in the Onagraceae family.
Long leaved suncup is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin bioregions in moist meadows with clay soils at elevations of 450 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces pale yellow flowers with petals 5 to 16 millimeters long. Growing with fleshy, nearly glabrous stems, it forms a low-spreading habit with distinctive elongated leaves. Its leaves are lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 20 to 220 millimeters long, ranging from nearly entire to irregularly pinnately lobed. The fruit is a linear-ovoid capsule 11 to 28 millimeters long, slightly angular and leathery.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; leaf division is key differentiator from T. tanacetifolia
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist meadows, generally clay soils
Elevation: 450-2600 m
California counties: Mono, Siskiyou, Plumas, Lassen, Placer, Modoc, Sierra, Tulare, Tehama, Nevada, Alpine, Los Angeles
Outside California: to Washington, Montana, Colorado
Bloom period
Taraxia subacaulis blooms May-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Camissoniopsis: Taraxia is perennial; Camissoniopsis is annual, dying after one growing season.; vs Camissonia: Taraxia fruits are cylindrical with thin bulging walls; Camissonia fruits are four-angled or coiled.; vs Oenothera: Taraxia has small flowers and cylindrical pods; Oenothera has large showy flowers and club-shaped pods.; vs Ranunculus: Taraxia has four-petaled flowers and cylindrical pods; Ranunculus has five petals and ball-shaped seed heads.; vs Viola: Taraxia has flowers on tall stems above leaves; Viola has flowers among leaves with distinctive spurred petals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Taraxia subacaulis native to California?
Yes. Taraxia subacaulis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Taraxia subacaulis bloom?
Taraxia subacaulis blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Taraxia subacaulis grow?
Taraxia subacaulis occurs in Mono, Siskiyou, Plumas, Lassen, Placer, Modoc, Sierra, Tulare and other counties, at elevations of 450-2600 m.
What plant family does Taraxia subacaulis belong to?
Taraxia subacaulis is in the Onagraceae family, genus Taraxia.
What habitat does Taraxia subacaulis grow in?
Taraxia subacaulis grows in Moist meadows, generally clay soils.
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.