Clarkia cylindrica
Clarkia amoena
speckled clarkia, speckled fairyfan
arewell-to-spring, farewell-to-spring, farewell-to-spring clarkia, godetia, yellow clarkia
erect, to 60 cm, puberulent or glabrous.
erect to decumbent, 20–200 cm, puberulent.
petiole to 5 mm;
blade linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1–6 cm.
petiole to 10 mm;
blade linear to lanceolate, 1–6 cm.
open racemes, axis recurved at tip in bud;
buds pendent.
open or dense spikes or racemes, axis straight;
buds erect.
floral tube 2–7 mm, with ring of hairs proximal to distal margin inside;
sepals reflexed together to 1 side;
corolla bowl-shaped, petals purple to pinkish lavender shading white near middle, often reddish purple-flecked, base bright purplish red, 10–35 mm;
stamens 8, unequal, width of outer filaments about 2 times inner, outer anthers lavender, inner smaller, paler.
floral tube 3–10 mm;
sepals usually reflexed together to one side, or rarely in pairs or singly;
corolla bowl-shaped, petals pale pink to lavender, usually with red spot or mark near middle, obovate to fan-shaped, 15–60 mm, not lobed, apex sometimes shallowly notched or erose;
stamens 8, in 2 subequal sets;
ovary cylindrical and 4-grooved or fusiform and 8-grooved, puberulent;
stigma exserted or not beyond anthers.
20–50 mm, beak 3–5 mm.
15–40 mm, sometimes broader distally;
pedicel 0–13 mm.
brown, 1–1.5 mm, minutely scaly to puberulent, crest 0.1 mm.
brown to grayish brown, 1–1.5 mm, scaly, crest 0.1 mm.
Clarkia cylindrica
Clarkia amoena
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
As defined by Davis, the subspecies of Clarkia cylindrica have distinct but partly overlapping geographical ranges; subsp. cylindrica mainly in the South Coast and Transverse Ranges to the Tehachapi Mountain area, and subsp. clavicarpa mainly in the central and southern Sierra Nevada Foothills to the Tehachapi Mountain area. More recent collections suggest more substantial geographical overlap. Morphological variation correlates with geographical distribution, with the most consistent difference in ovary and capsule shape. According to Davis, the taxa are moderately interfertile, less so for more distantly separated individuals.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Subspecies 5 (5 in the flora).
Clarkia amoena is closely related to C. rubicunda, which differs morphologically mainly in the color pattern of the petals. Petals of C. amoena have a conspicuous red spot or group of small red spots or marks near the middle, whereas those of C. rubicunda have a red area at the base and are not spotted near the middle. The areas of distribution of the two species barely overlap in California just north of San Francisco Bay, and C. rubicunda could be considered a southern geographical race or subspecies of C. amoena were it not that their readily formed hybrids are sterile due to chromosomal rearrangement. Clarkia amoena is one of the parent species of the allotetraploid C. gracilis. Intermediates between subspecies are frequent.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Ovaries and capsules cylindrical. | subsp. cylindrica |
1. Ovaries and capsules subclavate, enlarged distally. | subsp. clavicarpa |
1. Stigmas not exserted beyond anthers; petals less than 20 mm; coastal British Columbia, Oregon, Washington. | subsp. caurina |
1. Stigmas exserted beyond anthers; petals 15–60 mm. | → 2 |
2. Ovaries 8-grooved, broadly fusiform, 8–12 mm wide. | subsp. whitneyi |
2. Ovaries 4-grooved, cylindrical to subclavate, 2–6 mm wide. | → 3 |
3. Inflorescences open, internodes longer than subtending flowers, bracts sublinear. | subsp. huntiana |
3. Inflorescences congested, internodes shorter than subtending flowers, bracts narrowly lanceolate or wider. | → 4 |
4. Stems decumbent to suberect, to 100 cm; petals 20–35 mm, usually with red spot mid blade; coastal California. | subsp. amoena |
4. Stems erect, to 200 cm; petals 30–40 mm, usually without red spot or with very small spot or streak mid blade; inland Oregon, Washington. | subsp. lindleyi |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
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