Species Details

Chylismia munzii

Death Valley suncup

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Species Description:

Chylismia munzii, commonly known as Death Valley suncup, is a annual herb in the Onagraceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Mojavean desert scrub, growing at elevations from 275 to 1670 meters. Chylismia munzii is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Scientific Name:
Chylismia munzii (P.H. Raven) W.L. Wagner & Hoch
Common Name:
Death Valley suncup
Family: Onagraceae
Element Code: PDONA03130
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:
Name Status: JEP, FNA, POWO,
IPNI, Tropicos
Lifeform: annual herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Jun(Nov)
JFMAMJJASOND
Elevation:
275 - 1670 meters
900 - 5480 feet
General Habitats:
  • Mojavean desert scrub
Microhabitat Details: Alluvial fans, canyon bottoms, and lower slopes of desert mountains.
Microhabitat:
  • Carbonate (sometimes)
  • Dry
  • Gravelly
  • Rocky
  • Sandy
  • Slopes
  • Washes
Notes:
Many sites historical; needs field-work in years of favorable rainfall. May undergo extreme interannual fluctuations in abundance depending on winter precipitation
Threats:
Threatened by solar energy development. Potentially threatened by lithium mining, off-road vehicles.
Taxonomy:
Distinguished from other Chylismia spp. by its long, deflexed pedicels and clavate capsules. Co-occurs with Chylismia brevipes ssp. pallidula, C. claviformis ssp. funerea, and C. heterochroma. Co-occurs and occasionally hybridizes with C. brevipes ssp. brevipes and C. claviformis ssp. aurantiaca.
Total Occurrences: 0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
A B C D X U
0 0 0 0 0 0
Occurrence Status:
Historical >20 Years 0
Recent <=20 Years 0
Presence:
Presumed Extant 0
Possibly Extirpated 0
Presumed Extirpated 0
California Endemic:
California Island:
States: Name (Code)
California (CA), Nevada (NV)
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Notes:
Definitions of codes following a county and/or quad:
* Presumed extirpated
(?) Occurrence confirmed, but possibly extirpated
Quad and county data is imported from the CNDDB. Species may be present in other areas where conditions are favorable. These data should NOT be substituted for pre-project review or for on-site surveys.

  Map

Location Data is Forthcoming from the CNDDB
Presumed Extant
Click on quad for name. Hold Shift Key to use mouse scroll wheel
CNPS Status Review: Proposed Addition to California Rare Plant Rank 4.2 (2024)
Original Description: University of California Publications in Botany 34: 91 (1962)
Revised Nomenclature: Systematic Botany Monographs 83: 207 (2007)
Taxonomic Treatment: Contributions from the U. S. National Herbarium 37: 222 (1969)
Species Account: Vascular plants of the Nevada Test Site and central-southern Nevada: 217 (1976) 

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