Camissoniopsis luciae

Herbs annual, villous throughout. Stems erect or ascending, 20–50 cm. Leaves 1.3–5.5 × 1.2–2.5 cm; sessile; blade lanceolate to narrowly oblong, base rounded or truncate, sometimes cuneate, margins sparsely denticulate, apex acuminate to, sometimes, rounded. Flowers opening near sunrise; floral tube 2–3 mm; sepals 2.5–4.5 mm; petals yellow, with 1 red dot basally, 4–7 mm, sometimes with a tooth arising from emarginate apex; episepalous filaments 4-pored; s2–6 mm, epipetalous filaments 0.8–1.6 mm, anthers 0.4–1 mm, 25–60% of pollen grains tyle 3–6 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis. Capsules straight or 1.5–2+-coiled spiral, subterete in living material, obscurely 4-angled when dry, 15–20 × 1.3–2 mm. Seeds 1.3–1.5 mm. 2n = 42.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–May(–Jul).
Habitat: Openings in chaparral.
Elevation: 300–1400 m.

Calif.

Discussion

Camissoniopsis luciae is known from the Santa Lucia Mountains, Monterey County, and scattered southward to San Benito, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties. P. H. Raven (1969) determined C. luciae to be self-compatible and primarily autogamous. The species is a hexaploid that parallels the widespread diploid C. hirtella in the variable notching of its petals. Presumably, it has been derived from the tetraploid C. intermedia (2n = 28) and the diploid C. hirtella (2n = 14), but it is rather easily separated from both by the absence of glandular hairs in the inflorescence, relatively large flowers, and pollen characteristics.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa