Camissonia graciliflora (Hook. & Arn.) 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
Camissoniaa graciflora has been collected growing sympatrically with the very closely related C. palmeri (1 mile west of Pearblossom, Los Angeles County, California, Mosquin 3264, DAO; 3260, C. palmeri) and with C. ovata. It is self-compatible and facultatively selfpollinated, as shown by pollen-tube growth in three plants of R18153, Monterey County, California, that were caged in the field, and eight plants of R18177, San Luis Obispo County, California, that were grown in the experimental garden at Stanford. This species is probably not regularly outcrossed, judging from observations made at Jolon, Monterey County, California, on 31 March 1963 (Raven, MS.). With C. palmeri it forms a very distinctive group in the section, marked by annual habit, distinctive capsule morphology, obovoid seeds, nodding buds, and sepals reflexing in pairs; nonetheless, these two species so closely resemble the perennial members of the section in details of floral morphology (such as the sterile projection on the ovary, and the fleshy ring closing the bottom of the hypanthium), that I believe they are best kept together in a single section.