Taxon Report

Camissonia lacustris P. H. Raven

grassland suncup

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Taxon Summary

Camissonia lacustris, commonly known as grassland suncup, is a annual herb in the Onagraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 180 to 1220 meters. Camissonia lacustris is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Camissonia lacustris P. H. Raven
Common Name:	grassland suncup
Family:	Onagraceae
Element Code:	PDONA030W0
USDA Plants Symbol:	CALA39
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Jun	Mar-Jun
Elevation:	180-1220 (590-4005)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:	Granitic, Gravelly, Serpentine
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.2 on 2022-09-19

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	14
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	1
Unknown (U)	13

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
El Dorado (ELD), Fresno (FRE), Lake (LAK), Mariposa (MPA), Tuolumne (TUO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Camino (3812066), Columbia Se (3812013), Half Dome (3711965), Kelseyville (3812287), Lakeport (3912218), Merced Peak (3711964), Pine Flat Dam (3611973), Standard (3712083), Stumpfield Mtn. (3711947), Tuolumne (3712082), Wawona (3711956)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	3	21 %
Development	2	14%
Non-native plant impacts	2	14%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	7%
Dam/Inundation	1	7%

Notes




Threats:
Threatened by urbanization, development, agriculture, and non-native plants
Taxonomy:
Sierran plants may be C. sierrae subsp. sierrae, making C. lacustris endemic to LAK Co.

Selected References

Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 37: 329–332

Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 37: 161–396

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2026. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 24 February 2026].