Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family) Onagraceae are mostly herbaceous (lacking a woody stem) although some imported South and Central American Fushias become woody. The flower typically has 4 sepals, 4 petals and 8 stamens attached to a portion of the calyx; slightly below this point, the fruit forming section of the pistil unites with the calyx. Some exceptions, of course, exist. Onagraceae can be aquatic, grow in mud, sand, rocks or grassy plains. Family members include Evening Primrose, Fushia, Suncups, Willowherb, and Clarkia - on Montara Mountain, Onagraceae representatives include: Camissonia ovata Coast Sun Cup Clarkia rubicunda Farewell-to-Spring Epilobium cilatum ssp. watsonii Watson's Willow Herb Epilobium densiflorum Dense-flowered Boisduvalia Oenothera elata ssp. hookerii Hooker's Evening Primrose

Camissonia ovata: Coast Sun Cup Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family) Flowers: Bright yellow, cuplike, with light yellow centers, four petals; nestled in circle of bright green leaves. Blooms: March - June. Leaves: Bright green in prostrate ring. Fruit/Seeds: ?? Location: Open fields, Grassy Trails, Gray Whale Cove Trail. Status: Native - Common.	Camissonia ovata 600x450 JPEG - 28K
Further description & Comment: 2 inches tall; note petal base leave-like sepals when flower fully opened. Sun Cups are at their most impressive when, in early spring, they join with Ranunculus californicus (California Buttercup) and Sanicula arctopoides (Footsteps-of-Spring) to create bright yellow displays in the midst of green fields of new grass.

Clarkia rubicunda: Farewell-to-Spring Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family) Flowers: Rose-pink to lavender with distinct red center basal zone, four ruffled petals separate but held in a bowl shape. One to two inches across. Blooms: June - July. Leaves: Narrow, along stem and tinged with red. Fruit/Seeds: ?? Location: Bluff trails - Gray Whale Cove Trail in McNee Ranch State Park is the best. Status: Native - Common.

Clarkia rubicunda 600x450 JPEG - 32K

600x450 JPEG - 52K

Further description & Comment: Low and spreading plant, up to one foot tall. Flower buds erect. Watch for a big bloom of Clarkia in the early summer along the bluffs and rocks at Devil's Slide. One year, the entire north face of Devil's Slide Promontory turned scarlet. We first assumed it to be iceplant, until binoculars revealed it to be thousands of blooming Clarkia rubicunda. Clarkia in general tend to be late bloomers, often persisting into the summer. Sometime these flowers hang around so long into the summer people start calling it "Hello-to-Autumn". More Common Name confusion: this plant's close relative, Clarkia amoena, is often referred to as "Herald-of-Summer", and some books refer to this flower as "Ruby Chalice Clarkia".

Epilobium cilatum ssp. watsonii Watson's Willowherb Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family) Flowers: White to pink to red to purple, 4 bi-lobed petals, notched less than one-third the length of the petal, 5 to 10 mm long, atop a thin (non-bulbous) ovary, in upright inflorescence. Blooms: May - September. Leaves: Alternate and opposite pairs, lance-like and lightly toothed, conspicuous veins. Fruit/Seeds: Linear seed pods along flowering stems containing multiple seeds with silky hair tufts. Location: Permanent or seasonal wet areas; creeks, seeps, ponds, drainages. Status: Native - Common.	Epilobium cilatum ssp. watsonii 600x450 JPEG - 36K
	Further description & Comment: Up to 100 cm (40 inches) or more, growing in clumps in wet areas, often right in the water. The plants are connected by common stems and roots, and are often some of the first natives to restablish in disturbed areas. E. densiflorum. is similar, but has deeper notches in the petals (at least one-third the length) and does not have the tufted hairs on the seeds. There are various species of Willowherb in the area, some that pop up in people's yard. Although my sources show none of these as being alien and/or invasive, there is some contention that some of them are. <-- 450x600 JPEG - 52K
Common name confusion: Some of these plants are referred to as "Fireweed", either a name indicating their bright red flower and lower stem coloration or the fact that they sprout up quickly in areas after fires; most of the literature agrees that Fireweed is the common name for E. angustifolium - but Fireweed is also applied to an unrelated invasive field species that has been pointed out by CNPS members, so I think we'll stick with Willowherb for our local plants.

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