Desert Wildflowers: California Suncup

California Suncup, also known as Southern Suncap

Camissoniopsis bistorta

Family: Onagraceae, Evening Primrose

Fun Facts

The California suncup is an important food source for bees and other pollinators, who are attracted to the sweet nectar produced by its flowers. The plant is also used in traditional Native American medicine to treat a variety of ailments, including headaches, fever, and coughs.

Habitat

The California Sun Cup is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in several types of plant community along the coast and in the coastal hills and mountain ranges.
It is commonly found growing in sandy flats, desert scrub, coastal scrub, chaparral, and grassland.

Bloom Season

March-June

I have observed this wildflower in 2023 in the following Southern California desert areas:

Whitewater Preserve (March 2023)

Sources
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/75975-Camissoniopsis-bistorta
https://www.americansouthwest.net/plants/wildflowers/camissoniopsis-bistorta.html