''Camissonia'', sometimes commonly known as sun cup or sundrop, is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the evening primrose family

Onagraceae The Onagraceae are a family of flowering plants known as the willowherb family or evening primrose family. They include about 650 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, especially in the

California Floristic Province The California Floristic Province (CFP) is a floristic province with a Mediterranean-type climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora similar to other regions with a winter rainfall and summer drought climat ...

, but also one from

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. Previous circumscriptions of the genus had recognized up to 62 species before it was split among other closely related genera.Wagner WL, PC Hoch, and PH Raven. 2007
Revised classification of the Onagraceae
''Systematic Botany Monographs'', 83: 1-240. The flowers generally open at dawn and are yellow. They are usually cup-shaped, thus the common name. Formerly included in ''

Oenothera ''Oenothera'' is a genus of about 145 species of herbaceous flowering plants native to the Americas. It is the type genus of the family Onagraceae. Common names include evening primrose, suncups, and sundrops. They are not closely related to ...

'', the species of ''Camissonia'' are distinguished by having a club- or head-shaped stigma, instead of the 4-part-divided stigma of ''Oenothera'' or ''

Clarkia ''Clarkia'' is a genus within the flowering plant family Onagraceae. Over 40 species are currently classified in ''Clarkia''; almost all are native to western North America, though one species (''Clarkia tenella'') is native to South America. ...

''. ''Camissonia'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including '' Schinia cupes'' and '' Schinia deserticola'', both of which feed on ''C. claviformis'', the latter exclusively. The genus is named after the botanist

Adelbert von Chamisso Adelbert von Chamisso (; 30 January 1781 – 21 August 1838) was a German poet, writer and botanist. He was commonly known in French as Adelbert de Chamisso (or Chamissot) de Boncourt, a name referring to the family estate at Boncourt. Life ...

Selected species

According to

The Plant List The Plant List was a list of botanical names of species of plants created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden and launched in 2010. It was intended to be a comprehensive record of all known names of plant specie ...

, the genus includes the following accepted species:The Plant List
/ref> *''

Camissonia andina ''Neoholmgrenia andina'' is a species of evening primrose known by the common name Blackfoot River evening primrose. It is native to western North America, including southern Canada and much of the western United States, where it is a plant of mo ...

'' (Nutt.) P.H.Raven *'' Camissonia bairdii'' S.L.Welsh *''

Camissonia benitensis ''Camissonia benitensis'' is a species of Onagraceae, evening primrose known by the common names San Benito suncup and San Benito evening primrose. It is Endemism, endemic to the Diablo Range of the California Coast Ranges, South Coast Ranges of ...

'' P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia breviflora ''Camissonia breviflora''Raven, 1964 ''In: Brittonia, 16: 283'' is a species of evening primrose known by the common name short-flower suncup, first described by John Torrey and Asa Gray. It is part of the genus ''Camissonia'' and the family Onag ...

'' (Torr. & A.Gray) P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia campestris ''Camissonia campestris'' (field primrose,Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd ed., 2013, Mojave sun cup, or Mojave suncup), is a flowering plant in the family Onagraceae, native to the Mojave Desert of the United States. It grows mostly o ...

'' (Greene) P.H.Raven (Mojave suncup) *''

Camissonia contorta ''Camissonia contorta'' is a species of flowering plant, known by the common name plains evening primrose, in the family ''Onagraceae''. It is an annual herb producing a slender, bending to curling red or green stem which is sometimes hairy. It is ...

'' (Douglas) Kearney *'' Camissonia dentata''(Cav.) Reiche *'' Camissonia dominguez-escalantorum'' N.D.Atwood, L.C.Higgins & S.L.Welsh *''

Camissonia graciliflora ''Tetrapteron graciliflorum'' is a species of evening primrose known by the common name hill suncup. It is native to Oregon and California, where it grows in several habitat types, often on clay soils. It is an annual herb generally with no stem ...

'' (Hook. & Arn.) P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia hilgardii ''Camissonia'', sometimes commonly known as sun cup or sundrop, is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the evening primrose family Onagraceae. A total of 12 species are known, nearly all from western North America, especially in the Califor ...

'' (Greene) P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia integrifolia ''Camissonia'', sometimes commonly known as sun cup or sundrop, is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the evening primrose family Onagraceae. A total of 12 species are known, nearly all from western North America, especially in the Califor ...

'' P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia kernensis ''Camissonia'', sometimes commonly known as sun cup or sundrop, is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the evening primrose family Onagraceae. A total of 12 species are known, nearly all from western North America, especially in the Califor ...

'' (Munz) P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia lacustris ''Camissonia lacustris'' is a flowering plant species commonly called grassland suncup. It is an evening primrose endemic to California, where it grows in serpentine grasslands near Lakeport in Lake County, California. This is the type locality ...

'' P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia ovata ''Taraxia ovata'' is a species of wildflower native to California and Oregon known by the common name goldeneggs or sun cup. Description This is a fleshy, taprooted perennial which often grows in clay soil. It has a wide rosette of long, altern ...

'' (Nutt. ex Torr. & A.Gray) P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia palmeri ''Tetrapteron palmeri'' is a species of evening primrose known by the common name Palmer evening primrose. It is native to the western United States from California to Idaho, where it grows in several habitat types, including desert and sagebrush ...

'' (S.Watson) P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia parvula ''Camissonia parvula'' is a species of evening primrose known by the common name Lewis River suncup. It is native to the Great Basin of the United States. It grows in sagebrush, woodland, and other Great Basin habitat. It is a slender annual herb ...

'' (Nutt.) P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia pubens ''Camissonia pubens'' is a species of evening primrose known by the common name hairy suncup. It is native to the desert and steppe of western Nevada and eastern California. It is an annual herb covered in glandular hairs generally made up of one ...

'' (S.Watson) P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia pusilla ''Camissonia'', sometimes commonly known as sun cup or sundrop, is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the evening primrose family Onagraceae. A total of 12 species are known, nearly all from western North America, especially in the Califor ...

'' P.H.Raven *'' Camissonia sierrae'' P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia strigulosa ''Camissonia strigulosa'' is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name sandysoil suncup. The plant is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in sandy areas, such as beaches, mountain ...

'' (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) P.H.Raven *'' Camissonia subacaulis'' (Pursh) P.H.Raven *'' Camissonia tanacetifolia'' (Torr. & A.Gray) P.H.Raven

References

Jepson Flora Project: ''Camissonia''
Onagraceae genera Adelbert von Chamisso {{Myrtales-stub