Long-capsule Suncup
Eremothera chamaenerioides
(Camissonia chamaenerioides)
Signal Mountain Wilderness, Maricopa Co., Arizona, USA. 05 Mar. 2017.
ANNUAL : Small plant with very small flowers. Even in season where it
is common it can be hard to observe. Most plants in the Arizona deserts are
less than 10 cm in height. Under better
conditions sometime 50 cm tall.
FLOWERS: Very small and pale pink or almost white on nodding peduncles. Petals open just part
way forming a cup. Blooming Jan to April, depending on available moisture.
LEAVES: Leaves are linear-spatulate and very often reddish and splotched
with darker red. The larger leaves are all basal. Much reduced leaves are scattered on the flowering stalk.
RANGE: In the Sonoran Desert this plant is common, but often hard to
find because of its diminutive size. Searching for and finding this plant will
please the avid naturalist!
FRUIT: Small, capsules are slender and elongated.
UNARMED
Observed along King Canyon in the Tucson Mountains, Pima Co., Arizona, USA. Feb. 2011.