Flower profile

Golden suncup

Chylismia brevipes

Golden suncup (Chylismia brevipes) is a flowering plant in the Onagraceae family, blooming mostly January–April across the U.S.

Native to Nevada

Golden suncup is a flowering plant. In Nevada it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

–states where USDA records it

463NV sightings*

3,020U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Nevada

Quick look

Chylismia brevipes is a species of wildflower native to the American desert southwest known by the common names yellow cups, Mojave suncup, and golden suncup. This is a hairy annual with tall stems often reaching over half a meter in height and surrounded by basal leaves which may be simple or composed of several leaflets. It produces an inflorescence which has one to several blooms in it.
From Wikipedia's article Chylismia brevipes, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Onagraceae family. ^iNaturalist
NatureServe lists it as native to Nevada. ^NatureServe
In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 463 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #88 among the 132 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Nevada, most flowering sightings come in March–May.

Flowering records by month in Nevada (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (232 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: UT (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.

Names, range and relatives

More from the Onagraceae family (19 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Pinkladies, Fireweed, California fuchsia, Common evening-primrose, Broadleaf enchanter's nightshade, Elegant clarkia, Cutleaf evening primrose, Sun cup.

More Nevada flowers

Scarlet beeblossom

Oenothera suffrutescens

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: April–May

Birdcage evening primrose

Oenothera deltoides

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: March–May

Creosote bush

Larrea tridentata

Native

🌼 Blooms in NV: March–May

Sources

USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
iNaturalist, Chylismia brevipes: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Chylismia brevipes (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Chylismia brevipes (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Dawn Nelson via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.