Camissonia claviformis (Torr. & Frém.) P.H.Raven
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Authority
Raven, Peter H. 1969. A revision of the genus Camissonia (Onagraceae). Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 37: 161-396.
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Family
Onagraceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Annual 3-70 cm. tall, branching mostly from the base. Leaves in a prominent basal rosette, reduced upward, pinnately divided or entire by reduction, 1 .5-20 cm. long, broadly oblanceolate, the terminal segment 0.8-9 cm. long, 0.2-4 cm. broad, lanceolate to cordate, the lateral segments lacking or to 2.5 cm. long; veins beneath prominently lined with brown oil cells. Inflorescence nodding, not elongating much in flower. Flowers opening in late afternoon in all except subsp. cruciformis. Hypanthium 1.5-6.5 mm. long, 1-5 mm. across at the summit, short-villous in lower portions within. Sepals 2-8 mm. long, 1-2.5 mm. wide, with brown oil cells on midribs above and on free tips, if present. Petals 1.5-8 mm. long, 1.5-10 mm. wide, yellow or white, reflexed in anthesis, and of same color as stamens and style. Stamens subequal, the filaments 1.5-5.5 mm. long, dilated at base; anthers 1.5-6 mm. long, long-ciliate. Style 5-16 mm. long, held well above the stamens at anthesis; stigma greenish, 0.6-1.3 mm. thick. Capsule 0.9-3.8 cm. long, 1.5-2.3 mm. thick, straight or curved, clavate, on a spreading or ascending pedicel 4-40 mm. long. Seeds pale brown, narrowly obovoid, lenticular, 0.6-1.5 mm. long. Gametic chromosome number, n=7. Self-incompatible.
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Discussion
Camissonia claviformis is the most complex and one of the most widely distributed species of the genus. The central part of its range is occupied by five closely related white-flowered subspecies, claviforrnis, aurantiaca, funerea, integrior, and peeblesii, so similar morphologically that they could be regarded as a single taxon. South of this area are found four additional subspecies, all yellow-flowered, namely, peirsonii, rubescens, wigginsii, and yumae. These entities have sepals and flower color similar to those of C. brevipes, and it is likely that they were derived following hybridization between that species and white-flowered populations of C. claviforrnis. North of the range of the white-flowered subspecies are found two additional yellow-flowered subspecies, cruciformis and lancifolia, the latter apparently derived following hybridization between the former and some of the white-flowered subspecies. Most populations of subsp. cruciformis consist of plants in which the flowers open in the early morning; all other subspecies consist of plants that have flowers opening in the late afternoon. In this and other morphological respects, C. claviforrnis subsp. cruciformis (including subsp. citrina) resembles C. eastwoodiae and C. munzii and is undoubtedly close to the ancestral stock from which C. claviforrnis was derived.