Wingfruit Suncup Camissonia pterosperma
Wingfruit Suncup is an annual wildflower native to the lower 48 states. It blooms Apr – May. A host for pollen-specialist native bees.
More about this plant
Chylismiella pterosperma is a species of evening primrose known by the common name wingfruit suncup and is the only species in the monotypic genus Chylismiella. It is native to the western United States, where it grows in several habitat types, including sagebrush. It is a slender annual herb producing an erect stem up to about 14 centimeters in height. The leaves are up to 3 centimeters long and densely coated in bristly hairs. The nodding inflorescence produces flowers with white petals each less than 3 millimeters long. They are sometimes yellow near the bases and fade to a purple color as they wither. The fruit is a straight capsule about 1 to 3 centimeters long with a thick wing down the middle. Wikipedia →
Growing & care
USDA PLANTS · TRY- Hardiness
- ≥ zone 7 derived from its U.S. range
- Lifespan
- Annual
Wildlife & pollinators
How pollinator value is scored →❧ Caterpillar hosts Documented caterpillar host
Recorded feeding on Camissonia in North America, including:
✦ Bees specialist-bee host
Specialist native bees depend on it.
Some native bees are pollen specialists (oligolectic) — they raise young only on pollen from particular plant genera. Camissonia is a recorded specialist-bee host, so losing it can mean losing the bee that relies on it.
Sources for this entry (10) Open & cited
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