Taraxia subacaulis

Taraxia subacaulis is a species of evening primrose known by the common name longleaf suncup. It is native to the western United States, where it grows in several habitat types, especially in mountainous areas in moist meadows. It is a fleshy perennial herb growing from a taproot and usually lacking a stem. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval and up to 22 centimeters long and are borne on long petioles. The flower has 4 yellow petals, each up to 1.5 centimeters long, and a large, bulbous stigma tip. The fruit is a leathery capsule 1 to 3 centimeters long.

Description

Longleaf suncup is a perennial plant without stems that grows from a thick taproot. It has a single rosette. The leaves forming the rosette are more or less hairless and also somewhat fleshy in texture. They are lanceolate, shaped like the head of a spear, or narrowly elliptic, the two sides curving. The leaf edges can be smooth or irregularly lobed.

Taxonomy

Taraxia subacaulis was scientifically described and named Jussiaea subacaulis by Frederick Traugott Pursh in 1813. It was moved to the genus Taraxia giving the species its accepted name by Per Axel Rydberg in 1900. It has no accepted varieties, but it has synonyms according to Plants of the World Online including nine species.

Names

Taraxia subacaulis is known by the common name longleaf suncup.