Herbs,usually annual, rarely short-lived perennial, caulescent. Stems prostrate to ascending or erect, often with reddish brown or white exfoliating epidermis. Leaves cauline and often in a basal rosette, alternate; stipules absent; sessile or petiolate; blade margins dentate, denticulate, or serrulate. Inflorescences spikes, erect or nodding at anthesis. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, buds erect; floral tube deciduous (with sepals, petals, and stamens) after anthesis, with basal nectary; sepals 4, usually reflexed in pairs, sometimes separately; petals 4, yellow, fading red, with 1+ red dots basally; stamens 8, in 2 unequal series, anthers versatile, pollen shed singly; ovary 4-locular, without apical projection, style glabrous or pubescent distally, stigma entire, subcapitate to subglobose, surface unknown, probably wet and non-papillate. Fruit a capsule, contorted or curled 1 to 5 times, or straight, narrowly cylindrical and thickened proximally, 4-angled (at least when dry), regularly but tardily loculicidally dehiscent, not swollen by seeds; sessile. Seeds numerous, in 1 row per locule, flattened, narrowly obovoid, dull. x = 7.

Distribution

w United States, nw Mexico.

Discussion

Species 14 (13 in the flora).

Camissoniopsis proavita (P. H. Raven) W. L. Wagner & Hoch is known from northern Baja California, Mexico. It is a diploid, closely related to C. micrantha but differing in having numerous flowers in the basal rosette, which is densely leafy.

All species of Camissoniopsis occur near coasts or on dry slopes or desert flats inland from 0–2500 m. R. A. Levin et al. (2004) found strong molecular support for Camissoniopsis in a clade with Neoholmgrenia and Tetrapteron. Camissoniopsis was segregated from Camissonia as delimited by P. H. Raven (1969). Camissoniopsis is distinguished by having 4-angled fruits, at least when dry, and not swollen by seeds, dull seeds usually smaller than 1 mm, and by flowering from both basal and distal nodes (Raven). Relationships within Camissoniopsis are complex and reticulate. Several diploids (especially C. hirtella) appear to have contributed to the formation of the tetraploids and, in turn, the hexaploids (Raven), and, as a result, are very similar morphologically to each other. Identification of the polyploid species of Camissoniopsis is aided by their pollen having a high proportion of grains with higher number of pores than typical Onagraceae 3-pored pollen, usually 4- or 5-pored. This can be observed under low magnification (for example, 10\×) since the 3-pored pollen is triangular while the 4-pored is quadrangular and 5-pored is pentangular. Raven proposed Camissonia sect. Holostigma as a new combination based on Spach’s generic name. He was unaware that Holostigma Spach, like Agassizia Spach, is a later homonym and thus illegitimate; however, he satisfied all requirements for valid publication of a new sectional name in Camissonia. Reproductive features include: self-incompatible (C. cheiranthifolia and C. bistorta) or self-compatible; flowers diurnal; outcrossing and pollinated by bees (E. G. Linsley et al. 1963, 1964, 1973) or autogamous (Raven).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Camissoniopsis bistorta, Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia, Camissoniopsis confusa, Camissoniopsis guadalupensis, Camissoniopsis hardhamiae, Camissoniopsis hirtella, Camissoniopsis ignota, Camissoniopsis intermedia, Camissoniopsis lewisii, Camissoniopsis luciae, Camissoniopsis micrantha, Camissoniopsis pallida, Camissoniopsis robusta

Key

1	Herbs perennial; coastal habitats.	Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia
1	Herbs usually annual, rarely short-lived perennial (in C. bistorta); primarily inland habitats.	> 2
2	Stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis; sepals (2.3–)5–8(–11) mm; petals (4.2–)7–15 mm.	Camissoniopsis bistorta
2	Stigma surrounded by all anthers, or at least those of longer filaments, at anthesis; sepals 1–6(–8.5) mm; petals 1.5–10.5(–13) mm.	> 3
3	Capsules 2.8–3.5 mm diam. near base, straight or slightly curved outward, deeply grooved along lines of dehiscence.	Camissoniopsis guadalupensis
3	Capsules 0.7–2.2 mm diam. near base, straight or curved into 1+-coiled spirals, not deeply grooved.	> 4
4	Pollen with 25–100% of grains 4- or 5-pored.	> 5
4	Pollen with less than 5% of grains 4-pored (rarely more in C. intermedia).	> 7
5	Inflorescences exclusively villous; 25–60% of pollen grains 4- or 5-pored.	Camissoniopsis luciae
5	Inflorescences villous and glandular puberulent; 70–100 % of pollen grains 4- or 5-pored.	> 6
6	Capsules 1.3–1.6 mm diam., subterete in living material (obscurely 4-angled when dry); southernmost Monterey County to central San Luis Obispo County, California.	Camissoniopsis hardhamiae
6	Capsules 1.5–2 mm diam., 4-angled in living material; San Diego County, California, adjacent Baja California, and offshore islands.	Camissoniopsis robusta
7	Capsules 1.8–2.2 mm diam., conspicuously 4-angled in living material.	Camissoniopsis lewisii
7	Capsules 0.7–1.2(–1.8) mm diam., terete, subterete, or obscurely 4-angled, at least in living material.	> 8
8	Distal leaves petiolate, blade base attenuate; capsules usually much contorted, irregularly to 5-coiled; herbs moderately to sparsely strigillose, sometimes also sparsely villous.	Camissoniopsis ignota
8	Distal leaves usually subsessile, blade base rounded, cuneate, or truncate; capsules straight to 1–2-coiled; herbs strigillose to villous.	> 9
9	Herbs conspicuously grayish in appearance, densely strigillose; lateral stems usually decumbent; plants of the deserts.	Camissoniopsis pallida
9	Herbs not conspicuously gray in appearance, mostly villous; lateral stems erect to decumbent; plants not of deserts or only at desert margins (except C. confusa in central Arizona).	> 10
10	Capsules 0.7–0.9 mm diam.; distal leaf blades elliptic-ovate or ovate; stems ascending to erect.	Camissoniopsis hirtella
10	Capsules 0.9–1.2(–1.8) mm diam.; distal leaf blades narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate; stems decumbent or erect.	> 11
11	Stems decumbent; inflorescences usually densely villous, rarely also glandular puberulent.	Camissoniopsis micrantha
11	Stems erect; inflorescences usually moderately to densely villous, also glandular puberulent.	> 12
12	Floral tube (1.8–)2–3.8 mm; petals (2.5–)5–10.5 mm; styles (2.5–)4.5–7.5 mm; herbs densely villous, often also stigillose.	Camissoniopsis confusa
12	Floral tube 1.2–2 mm; petals 1.5–3.5(–4.5) mm; styles 2–3.5 mm; herbs moderately villous.	Camissoniopsis intermedia