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.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Notes Camissonia subacaulis 1964 species ≡ hom. Jussiaea subacaulis 1813 species ≡ hom. Oenothera heterantha 1834 species = het. Oenothera heterantha var. taraxacifolia 1873 variety = het. Oenothera primuloidea 1902 species = het. Oenothera subacaulis 1925 species ≡ hom. Oenothera subacaulis var. taraxacifolia 1925 variety = het. Oenothera taraxacifolia 1902 species = het., nom. illeg. Oenothera taraxacifolia var. caulescens 1902 variety = het. Oenothera triloba 1847 species = het., nom. illeg. Taraxia heterantha 1896 species = het. Taraxia heterantha var. taraxacifolia 1896 variety = het. Taraxia taraxacifolia 1900 species = het. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym
Names Taraxia subacaulis is known by the common name longleaf suncup.
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