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campo clarkia, delicate clarkia

deer horn, deerhorn clarkia, elk horn clarkia, elkhorns clarkia, large-flower clarkia, pink fairies, ragged robin

Stems

erect, 20–70 cm, glabrous and glaucous distally, usually puberulent basally.

erect, to 50 cm, glabrous or puberulent.

Leaves

petiole to 10 mm;

blade lanceolate to elliptic or ovate, 1.5–4 cm.

petiole 0–10 mm;

blade linear to lanceolate, 2–8 cm.

Inflorescences

open racemes, sometimes branched, axis straight;

buds pendent.

racemes, axis straight or recurved;

buds pendent.

Flowers

floral tube 2 mm;

sepals reflexed together to 1 side;

corolla rotate, petals oblanceolate to obovate, 8–12 mm, claw tapered, shorter than blade, apex entire;

stamens 8, unequal, outer anthers orange-red, inner smaller, paler.

floral tube minutely strigillose in distal 1/2 inside;

sepals reflexed together to1 side;

corolla rotate, petals very broadly fan-shaped, 10–30 mm, lateral lobes 1–5 mm;

stamens 8, unequal, 4 fertile, 4 sterile and reduced, subtended by puberulent scales, outer anthers lavender to white, inner much smaller, sterile;

ovary shallowly 8-grooved;

stigma exserted beyond anthers.

Capsules

15–35 mm;

subsessile.

10–30 mm;

pedicel 3–10 mm.

Seeds

brown, 1–1.5 mm, tuberculate (especially on raphe), crest inconspicuous.

dark brown, 1 mm, scaly, crest to 0.1 mm, inconspicuous.

2n

= 36.

= 24.

Clarkia delicata

Clarkia pulchella

Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Oak woodlands, chaparral. Openings in sagebrush and coniferous forests.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) 500–2200 m. (1600–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; SD; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Clarkia delicata is known in California only from the Peninsular Ranges, mainly in San Diego County with outliers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and in northern Baja California, Mexico. Because of its limited range, it is listed as rare by the California Native Plant Society. It is a tetraploid derived from hybridization between C. epilobioides and C. unguiculata.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Clarkia pulchella is the only North American species in the genus that does not occur in California; instead it is found throughout most of eastern Oregon and Washington, western Idaho, and northwestern Montana, to southern British Columbia, with disjunct occurrences in Bannock County in Idaho, Teton County in Wyoming, and Meade County in South Dakota. It was first discovered in 1806 by Meriwether Lewis during the Lewis and Clark expedition, and was the first species named in the new genus Clarkia.

Clarkia pulchella is an allopolyploid that combines morphological characteristics of sect. Myxocarpa (C. borealis and relatives), which includes two species with 2n = 10, and sect. Eucharidium (C. concinna and C. breweri) with 2n = 14. Molecular data support a relationship with sect. Eucharidium but at present show no direct association with sect. Myxocarpa.

Clarkia elegans Poiret is an illegitimate name that pertains here.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Clarkia > sect. Phaeostoma > subsect. Connubium Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Clarkia > sect. Clarkia
Sibling taxa
C. affinis, C. amoena, C. arcuata, C. australis, C. biloba, C. borealis, C. bottae, C. breweri, C. concinna, C. cylindrica, C. davyi, C. dudleyana, C. epilobioides, C. exilis, C. franciscana, C. gracilis, C. heterandra, C. imbricata, C. jolonensis, C. lassenensis, C. lewisii, C. lingulata, C. mildrediae, C. modesta, C. mosquinii, C. prostrata, C. pulchella, C. purpurea, C. rhomboidea, C. rostrata, C. rubicunda, C. similis, C. speciosa, C. springvillensis, C. stellata, C. tembloriensis, C. unguiculata, C. virgata, C. williamsonii, C. xantiana
C. affinis, C. amoena, C. arcuata, C. australis, C. biloba, C. borealis, C. bottae, C. breweri, C. concinna, C. cylindrica, C. davyi, C. delicata, C. dudleyana, C. epilobioides, C. exilis, C. franciscana, C. gracilis, C. heterandra, C. imbricata, C. jolonensis, C. lassenensis, C. lewisii, C. lingulata, C. mildrediae, C. modesta, C. mosquinii, C. prostrata, C. purpurea, C. rhomboidea, C. rostrata, C. rubicunda, C. similis, C. speciosa, C. springvillensis, C. stellata, C. tembloriensis, C. unguiculata, C. virgata, C. williamsonii, C. xantiana
Synonyms Godetia delicata
Name authority (Abrams) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride: Bot. Gaz. 65: 60. (1905) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 260, plate 11. (1813) — (as Clarckia)
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