Taxon Report
Chylismia munzii (P.H. Raven) W.L. Wagner & HochDeath Valley suncup |
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Taxon Summary
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.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Chylismia munzii (P.H. Raven) W.L. Wagner & Hoch |
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Common Name: |
Death Valley suncup |
| Family: | Onagraceae |
| Element Code: | PDONA03130 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | annual herb |
| Blooming Period: Mar-Jun(Nov) | Mar-Jun(Nov) |
| Elevation: | 275-1670 (900-5480) |
| General Habitats: | Mojavean desert scrub |
| Microhabitat: | Carbonate (sometimes), Dry, Gravelly, Rocky, Sandy, Slopes, Washes |
| Microhabitat Details: | Alluvial fans, canyon bottoms, and lower slopes of desert mountains. |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 4.2 |
| Global Rank: | G3? |
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State Rank: |
S3 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 0 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 0 |
| Good (B) | 0 |
| Fair (C) | 0 |
| Poor (D) | 0 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 0 |
| California Endemic: False | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 0 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 0 | 0 % | |
Notes
| Many sites historical; needs field-work in years of favorable rainfall. May undergo extreme interannual fluctuations in abundance depending on winter precipitation |
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Threats: |
| Threatened by solar energy development. Potentially threatened by lithium mining, off-road vehicles. |
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Taxonomy: |
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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. |
Selected References
| Proposed Addition to California Rare Plant Rank 4.2 (2024) |
| University of California Publications in Botany 34: 91 (1962) |
| Systematic Botany Monographs 83: 207 (2007) |
| Contributions from the U. S. National Herbarium 37: 222 (1969) |
| Vascular plants of the Nevada Test Site and central-southern Nevada: 217 (1976) |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 29 October 2025].