Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia, Beach Sun Cups

Beach sun cups is a tough, pleasing little plant for the front of the border, containers, and coastal restoration projects. The showy bright yellow 4-petalled flowers blooming through the year turn orange after pollination. A creeping perennial, it grows in rosettes, with long reddish stems reaching as far as 3' from the center of the plant, sprawling across the sand. Red midveins in the oval gray-green leaves add to the charm of this picturesque native.

Thriving in the sandy soil of our coastal bluffs and dunes, beach sun cups is easy to grow from seed. It looks best in full sun, requires good drainage, and is pollinated by bumblebees.