''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 North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, especially in the California Floristic Province, but also one from

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

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

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including ''

Schinia cupes ''Schinia cupes'' is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from Texas, west to New Mexico and north to Kansas and Colorado. The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adults are on wing from March to June. There is a second smaller generation flyin ...

'' and '' Schinia deserticola'', both of which feed on ''C. claviformis'', the latter exclusively. The genus is named after the botanist Adelbert von Chamisso.

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 species ...

, the genus includes the following accepted species:The Plant List
/ref> *'' Camissonia andina'' (Nutt.) P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia bairdii ''Camissonia bairdii'' is a plant species endemic to Washington County, Utah. It occurs in clay soil in pinyon-juniper woodlands. The species is classified as critically imperiled. ''Camissonia bairdii'' is an annual herb up to 12 cm tall ...

'' S.L.Welsh *''

Camissonia benitensis ''Camissonia benitensis'' is a species of evening primrose known by the common names San Benito suncup and San Benito evening primrose. It is endemic to the Diablo Range of the South Coast Ranges of California, where its range includes far south ...

'' 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 evening primrose known by the common name plains evening primrose. It is an annual herb producing a slender, bending to curling red or green stem which is sometimes hairy. It is up to 30 centimeters long ...

'' (Douglas) Kearney *''

Camissonia dentata ''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 ...

''(Cav.) Reiche *''

Camissonia dominguez-escalantorum ''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 ...

'' 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 on the grasslands of the Sierra Nevada foothills. It is also known from an area in the Norther ...

'' 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, alter ...

'' (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 pusilla'' is a species of evening primrose known by the common name little wiry suncup. It is native to the western United States from California to Idaho, where it grows in sagebrush and other habitat. It is a petite, hairy, glandul ...

'' P.H.Raven *''

Camissonia sierrae ''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 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