Camissonia ovata (Nutt.) 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: Moist plains in the immediate vicinity of Monterey, Monterey County, Calif., March 1836, T. Nuttall (NY; isotypes, BM, GH).
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Description
Description - Subsucculent acaulescent perennial from a thick taproot which often branches at the crown in age. Leaves ovate to very narrowly elliptic, 8-15 cm. long, 1.6-5 cm. wide, more or less densely white-ciliate with erect trichomes ca. 0.5 mm. long, subentire to shallowly sinuate or crisped, rarely deeply sinuate, the apex acute to acuminate, the base attenuate to a narrowly winged petiole 8-150 mm. long, slightly dilated at the base. Buds erect just before anthesis. Sterile prolongation of ovary 2.5-18 cm. long. Hypanthium 2-8 mm. long, 3.5-5 mm. across at the summit, sparsely pubescent outside, with short matted trichomes inside near the base. Sepals 11-19 mm. long, 1.2-4 mm. wide, sparsely pubescent, reflexed separately. Petals often apiculate, 8-23 mm. long, 5-19 mm. wide. Filaments of the episepalous stamens 3.5-8 mm. long, those of the epipetalous ones 2-6 mm. long; anthers 3-4.8 mm. long. Style 4.5 1 1 mm. long, short-pubescent near the base; stigma 0.8-2 mm. in diameter, held slightly above the anthers at anthesis. Capsule 11-30 mm. long, 3-5 mm. thick, subterete, the walls thin, much distended by the seeds, rarely with a pedicel up to 0.4 mm. long. Seeds elongate-ovoid, uniform brown, densely and coarsely papillose, 1.8-2.2 mm. long, 1.2-1.4 mm. thick. Gametic chromosome number, n=7. Self-incompatible.
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Discussion
Individuals of Camissonia ovata are self-incompatible (contrary to the assertion of Katherine Brandegee, Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 6: 46. 1914), as judged by the lack of pollen-tube growth in 71 selfed individuals from a population near the intersection of Sand Hill Road and Whiskey Hill Road, near Woodside, San Mateo County, California; 7 individuals from the Lake County, California, population cited above, and 12 plants from the population from south of Cambria, San Luis Obispo County, California, cited above. I am grateful to Gretchen M. Mills for these observations on the San Mateo County population. Camissonia ovata has been found growing sympatrically with C. graciliflora. The oligolectic bee Andrena (Diandrena) chalybea (Cress.) is consistently associated with it throughout its range and usually effects pollination in the early morning (MacSwain, Raven & Thorp, MS.). Other species of bees gather pollen from Camissonia ovata and visit it locally, sometimes in competition with Andrena chalybea. This species might possibly occur or have occurred in the Sierra Nevada foothills of central California, judging from a specimen labeled "Roseville, May 1884, M.K.C." (DS); it is uncertain whether the record refers to the community of this name in Sacramento County, California. At any rate, the occurrence of this species east of the Sacramento Valley has not been confirmed by modern collections. The chromosome number of this species was earlier reported by Johansen (Amer. Journ. Bot. 16: 597. 1929; Ann. Bot. 45: 111-124, pi. 6. 1931), but without any definite indication of locality or voucher specimen. Camissoriia ovata is a distinctive species without any close relatives. It might be confused superficially with C. subacaulis, but the structure of the capsules and seeds in these two species is very different (figs. 9, 10, 15, 16), as is the marking of the petals when viewed in ultraviolet light. White-flowered plants are found in a very low frequency.