Camissonia heterochroma (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: Candelaria, Mineral County, Nevada, 1881, W. H. Shockley 19 (GH).
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Description
Description - Annual herb 0.1-1 in. tall, with an ill-defined basal rosette; secondary branches numerous; entire plant covered with glandular pubescence, or nearly glabrous and glaucous above. Leaves simple, ovate, often cordate at the base, sinuate-dentate, glandular-pubescent, to 7 cm. long and 5 cm. wide, the veins below prominently lined with brown oil cells, the petioles to 6 cm. long. Inflorescences erect, elongating in flower, mostly axillary. Hypanthium 2-5 mm. long, 0.5-1.7 mm. wide at the summit, glandular-pubescent without, villous within. Sepals 1.5-3.5 mm. long, 0.6-1.5 mm. wide, with clusters of oil cells at tips; caudate appendages absent. Petals 2-6 mm. long, 1-4 mm. wide, lavender, paler below, often yellow at very base and often with lavender flecks below. Filaments creamy, those of the episepalous ones 1.8-3 mm. long, those of the epipetalous ones 1-2.5 mm. long; anthers 0.6-1 mm. long, glabrous or sparsely ciliate. Style creamy, villous near the base, 4-7 mm. long, stigma ca. 0.8-1 mm. thick, surrounded by the anthers at an thesis. Capsule 0.7-1.3 cm. long, 1.3-2 mm. thick, erect, clavate, straight, glandular-pubescent; pedicel 2-5 mm. long. Seeds brown, 1-1.2 mm. long. Gametic chromosome number, n=7. Autogamous.
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Discussion
Camissonia heterochroma is highly colonial, rare, and autogamous. Although it grows adjacent to C. brevipes subsp. brevipes, C. claviformis subsp. funerea, C. claviformis subsp. integrior, C. claviformis subsp. lancifolia, and C. munzii, its time of flowering only rarely coincides with that of any of these entities. I can no longer see any justification for separating the relatively glabrous and glaucous populations within this species (= subsp. monoensis) as a separate entity, particularly in view of their poorly separated geographical ranges; plants from Lincoln County, Nevada, are more or less intermediate in pubescence characters. The following two collections, seen since I completed my revision of the group in 1962, extend the then known range: Cerro Gordo, 3.8 miles east of Keeler, Inyo Mountains, Inyo County, ca. 5,300 ft., California, Thompson 3383 (DS); east side road south of Rainier Mesa, 5.4 miles north of junction of Tippipah Road, East Forty-Mile Drainage, 5,000 ft., Nye County, Nevada, Beatley 391 (DS).