Camissonia parryi (S.Watson) 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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Type
Type: Abundant on bare gypseous clay hills near St. George, Washington County, Utah, 1874, C. C. Parry 72 (GH; isotypes, DS, F, GH, MO, ND, NY).
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Description
Description - Erect and often intricately branched annual herb 5-80 cm. tall, with poorly defined basal rosette, densely covered below with white trichomes ca. 2 mm. long, forming a villous pubescence on the stems and leaves. Leaves simple or very rarely with a few small lateral leaflets, ovate, often cordate at the base, sparsely dentate, reduced upward, the veins below lined with pale or dark brown oil cells. Inflorescences nodding, mostly glabrous, with intricate, filiform branches, corymbiform. Hypanthium 0.5-2 mm. long, 0.3-0.5 mm. across at the summit, glabrous or villous without and within. Sepals 1.5-4 mm. long, 0.5-1.3 mm. wide, villous to glabrous, with clusters of light-brown oil cells at tip, the caudate appendages absent. Petals 2-7 mm. long, 2-6 mm. wide, bright yellow, of same color as stamens, style, and inside of hypanthium, often red-dotted near the base, sometimes fading rose. Filaments of the episepalous stamens 1.7-3.5 mm. long, those of the epipetalous ones 1.2-2.5 mm. long; anthers 0.9-1.2 mm. long, glabrous. Style 4-9 mm. long, glabrous; stigma 0.3-0.6 mm. thick, held well above the anthers at anthesis. Capsule 0.4-1 cm. long, 1.2-1.5 mm. thick, glabrous or glandular-pubescent, on a filiform pedicel 4-20 mm. long, the pedicel widely spreading or reflexed but the capsule erect. Seeds light brown, finely pitted, lenticular, with narrow cellular rim, few and crowded in 4-septate capsule so as to appear 1-rowed, 0.7-1.2 mm. long, 0.5-0.6 mm. thick. Gametic chromosome number, n = 7. Outcrossing.
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Discussion
Camissonia parryi is highly restricted geographically and edaphically and distinctive morphologically. It no longer appears desirable to accord formal taxonomic recognition to the late season plants Jones described as Oenthera tenuissima. Camissonia parryi is very likely self-incompatible. It grows sympatrically with C. multijaga, but the latter is confined to firm rock walls, whereas C. parryi grows on redclay flats, which it often carpets.