Booth's evening primrose

Description

Eremothera boothii (Synonyms: Camissonia boothii) is a species of wildflower known as Booth's evening primrose. This plant is native to the western United States and northwestern Mexico where it is most abundant in arid areas such as deserts. This is an annual plant with hairy reddish-green stems and mottled foliage. The stem ends in a nodding inflorescence of many small flowers which may be white to red or yellowish, often with darker shades on the external surfaces of the four spoon-shaped petals. They have long stamens with clublike yellowish anthers. Flowers of this species tend to open at dusk rather than dawn as in many other Camissonia. The fruit is a twisted capsule one to 3 centimeters long. Plant appearances may vary across subspecies. There are several subspecies: E. b. ssp. alyssoides - Pine Creek evening primrose, alyssum evening primrose E. b. ssp. boothii E. b. ssp. condensata - shredding suncup E. b. ssp. decorticans - shredding suncup E. b. ssp. desertorum - desert suncup E. b. ssp. intermedia Camissonia, sometimes commonly known as sun cup or sundrop, is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the evening primrose family Onagraceae. A total of 12 species are known, nearly all from western North America, especially in the California Floristic Province, but also one from South America. Previous circumscriptions of the genus had recognized up to 62 species before it was split among other closely related genera. The flowers generally open at dawn and maybe yellow, white, or lavender, often with darker shades at the base. They are usually cup-shaped, thus the common name. Formerly included in Oenothera, the species of Camissonia are distinguished by having a club- or head-shaped stigma, instead of the 4-part-divided stigma of Oenothera or Clarkia. Camissonia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Schinia cupes and Schinia deserticola, both of which feed on C. claviformis, the latter exclusively. The genus is named after the botanist Adelbert von Chamisso.