Common names:
Hall's suncup, pale yellow suncup
Family:
Scientific name:
Camissoniopsis pallida
Synonym:
Camissonia pallida
Main flower color:
Range:
South California, south Nevada, west Arizona and far southeast Utah
Height:
Up to 12 inches
Habitat:
Desert plains, hillsides, creosote scrubland; up to 6,000 feet
Leaves:
Narrowly lanceolate to elliptic, up to 2 inches long, with entire or finely toothed edges
Season:
February to June
Camissoniopsis pallida is a small plant, growing close to the ground, producing a basal rosette of narrow, lance-shaped leaves covered with strigose hairs, lying flat against the surface. Leaves are grey-green, sometimes with a reddish tint. Flowers are borne singly at the end of short stalks; they have four pointed green sepals, just protruding beyond the edges of the four overlying petals, which are obovate in shape and yellow in color, becoming red as they wither. Petals are a quarter to half an inch in length. Petal tips are flat or shallowly notched. The base of each petal, at the mouth of the short floral tube, is marked by 1 to 3 red dots. The flower center contains 8 stamens and a spherical stigma, which is held just above the stamens. Flowers may point upwards or nod down.
Ssp pallida has smaller flowers; the petals and the style are both less than a quarter of an inch long, while for ssp hallii they are up to twice this length.
Ssp pallida has smaller flowers; the petals and the style are both less than a quarter of an inch long, while for ssp hallii they are up to twice this length.
All Contents © Copyright The American Southwest | Comments and Questions | Contribute | Site Map