SafePlants

Desert Suncup (Camissonia boothii)

The Desert Suncup, scientifically known as Camissonia boothii, is a captivating wildflower of arid landscapes. It is also commonly referred to as Booth's Desert Primrose, Mojave Suncup, and Field Primrose.

Considerations for Pets

• This plant has stiff, straight, sharp hairs.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Camissonia boothii (Douglas) Raven
• Synonyms:
  • Eremothera boothii subsp. desertorum
  • Camissonia boothii subsp. desertorum (Munz) Raven
  • Camissonia campestris (Greene) Raven
  • Chylismia campestris
• Family: Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family)

Distribution and Habitat

• The Desert Suncup is abundant in arid areas, particularly in northwestern Mexico and the Mojave Desert of the Southwestern United States.
• It thrives in desert and scrub habitats, including desert plains, hillsides, and creosote scrubland, up to elevations of 6,000 feet.
• Specific locations mentioned include Death Valley, the KOFA Mountains in Arizona, and various regions in California such as the Central Valley, southwestern California, and the Anza-Borrego Desert.

Morphological Characteristics

• The plant can be annual or perennial.
• It is often rosetted and grayish in appearance.
• The plant is characterized by dense, stiff, straight, sharp hairs.
• Flowers have yellow petals, 2-13 mm in length, which fade reddish and have 1-3 red dots at the base.
• Stems can be slender and somewhat curving, either decumbent or hairless.
• Flowers have eight stamens and a capitate stigma.
• Flowers grow on tall, spindly stalks.

Ecological Role

• The Desert Suncup serves as a forage species for tortoises in the west Mojave Desert.

Quirky Facts

• The Spring 2010 wildflower bloom at Death Valley was called the third best bloom in the past twenty years.

Further Information

• More information and detailed records can be found through resources mentioning Charles Webber, Christopher L. Christie, and various online databases.
• The Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association provides updated guides to flowers and plants in the Anza-Borrego Desert.