Wednesday

Golden Evening-Primrose (Camissonia brevipes)

EFP-P1040937 (2)
(Fig. 01)
Picture Notes: I found this single specimen in Moapa Valley on a visit to the Logandale Trails System, located in Logandale, NV, about 62 miles from Las Vegas. With over 200 miles of marked trails, this trail system gives you the opportunity to experience the rugged southwest desert in all its glory. As with many of Nevada’s desert areas, the vegetation here is sparse; (Fig. 01) was the only example of this beautiful specimen we encountered all day.
                 
Description: Golden Evening-Primrose (Camissonia brevipes), a.k.a. Yellow Cups, is an annual forb with basal leaves and a flowering stalk. Leaves are broad and 1-pinnate, but a large terminal leaflet may be an entire leaf; lateral leaflets are much smaller than terminal leaflet. Leaves can be spotted. The flowers, clustered at the top, are 4-petaled and yellow with a stigma that hangs out beyond the petals. Its height is usually less than 2 feet. Though there may be more, it usually has only one flowering stalk. It blooms during early spring. It like washes and gravel or rocky soils and can be found at elevations up to 5,000 feet; though is usually found in lower elevations. Its range is from Arizona to California; in Nevada it is most popular in washes around Lake Mead.