Small evening primrose is a rosetted, dense-haired, spreading annual that can be as small as 2" or as large as 20".  The basal leaves are hairy, somewhat wavy-margined, petiolate, and linear-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate.  The upper leaves are opposite, sessile, and much smaller, and the stems are reddish and sometimes exfoliating.  The flowers are about 1/4" in diameter, yellow drying to orange, and have four sepals, four petals, eight unequal stamens with anthers that surround a capitate stigma.  The yellow petals sometimes have one or two red dots near the base.  The fruit is a subterete, straight to 1-coiled or curved capsule to 1/2" to 3/4" long, which dries to have a ± quadrangular cross-section.  The seeds are dull brownish black, minutely pitted, and in one row per chamber.  This is a fairly common plant on dry disturbed soils, and on dunes and beaches from the coast to inland areas to about 1000'.  It is a fire-follower and blooms from March to May.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Camissoniopsis 2) micrantha.
Pronunciation: kam-is-own-ee-OP-sis my-KRAN-tha.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.
Formerly Camissonia micrantha.