Taxon Report
Camissonia benitensis RavenSan Benito evening-primrose |
 © 2005 David A Tharp |
Taxon Summary
Camissonia benitensis, commonly known as San Benito evening-primrose, is a annual herb in the Onagraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 600 to 1280 meters. Camissonia benitensis is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Camissonia benitensis Raven |
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Common Name: |
San Benito evening-primrose |
| Family: | Onagraceae |
| Element Code: | PDONA03030 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | CABE7 |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | annual herb |
| Blooming Period: Apr-Jun | Apr-Jun |
| Elevation: | 600-1280 (1970-4200) |
| General Habitats: | Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Valley and foothill grassland |
| Microhabitat: | Carbonate (sometimes), Gravelly (sometimes), Serpentine |
| Microhabitat Details: | serpentinite alluvium |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 1B.1 |
| Global Rank: | G2 |
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State Rank: |
S2 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | FD |
| Other Status: | BLM_S; SB_SBBG; SB_UCBG |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 60 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 4 |
| Good (B) | 5 |
| Fair (C) | 1 |
| Poor (D) | 1 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 49 |
| California Endemic: True | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Fresno (FRE), Monterey (MNT), San Benito (SBT) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| Hepsedam Peak (3612037), Hernandez Reservoir (3612047), Idria (3612046), Lonoak (3612038), Priest Valley (3612026), Rock Spring Peak (3612048), San Benito Mtn. (3612036), Santa Rita Peak (3612035) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 8 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 14 | 23 % | |
| ORV activity | 11 | 18% |
| Recreational use (non-ORV) | 5 | 8% |
| Other | 4 | 6% |
| Grazing | 4 | 6% |
| Non-native plant impacts | 3 | 5% |
| Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime | 3 | 5% |
| Road/trail construction/maint. | 3 | 5% |
| Development | 1 | 1% |
Notes
| Federally listed on 1985-02-12; Delisted due to Recovery on 2022-03-07. Known only from the New Idria area. Previously seriously threatened by vehicles. Protected in part at ACEC (BLM). See Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium 37(5):332 (1969) for original description. |
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Threats: |
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Taxonomy: |
Selected References
| Recovery Plan for Camissonia benitensis (San Benito Evening-Primrose) (USFWS 2006) |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 4 November 2025].