Flora of North America species comparison

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Clarkia exilis

Clarkia australis

Kern River clarkia, Kern River or slender clarkia, slender clarkia

Small's southern clarkia
Stems

erect, 30–100 cm, glabrous, glaucous.

erect, to 100 cm, puberulent.
Leaves

petiole 0–5 mm;

blade bright green, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 1–6 cm, surfaces not glaucous, glabrous.

petiole 10–30 mm;

blade linear to lanceolate, 2–5 cm.
Inflorescences

open racemes, axis erect;

buds pendent.

open racemes, axis recurved only at tip in bud, straight 4+ nodes distal to open flowers;

buds pendent, narrowly obovoid, tip obtuse.
Flowers

floral tube 1–3 mm;

sepals reflexed together to 1 side, usually green, sparsely to densely puberulent inside, without longer, spreading hairs;

corolla rotate, petals lavender-pink or white, often with dark purplish spot, usually diamond-shaped, 5–15 mm, claw slender, equal to or longer than blade, entire;

stamens 8, unequal, outer anthers red, inner smaller, paler;

ovary with hairs as on sepals;

stigma subequal to anthers.

floral tube 2–4 mm;

sepals reflexed individually;

corolla rotate, petals lavender-purple, mottled or spotted reddish purple, ± rhombic, unlobed, 6–12(–14) ×3–7 mm, length 2.2–3 times width;

stamens 8, subequal, subtended by ciliate scales, pollen blue-gray;

ovary shallowly 4-grooved;

stigma exserted beyond anthers.
Capsules

10–30 mm.

10–20 mm;

pedicel 0–4 mm.
Seeds

brown, 1 mm, tuberculate, crest inconspicuous.

brown, 1–1.5 mm, scaly.
2n

= 18.

= 10.

Clarkia exilis

Clarkia australis
Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Woodlands Yellow-pine forests.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) 800–1500 m. (2600–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Clarkia exilis is of limited distribution, known primarily from the southern Sierra Nevada Foothills and Tehachapi Mountain area in Kern and Tulare counties, with unverified reports from Fresno, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties. It is listed as rare by the California Native Plant Society.

Clarkia exilis is derived from C. unguiculata and is closely related to C. springvillensis and C. tembloriensis.

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

Clarkia australis is found in the foothills of the central Sierra Nevada range, from Calaveras, Madera, Mariposa, and Tuolumne counties, and has been designated as rare by the California Native Plant Society.

Clarkia australis is morphologically very similar to C. virgata and, based on its more southern distribution, may be derived from it. They are most readily distinguished morphologically by the narrower leaves of C. australis.

(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. Phaeostoma Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Clarkia > sect. Myxocarpa
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. delicata, C. dudleyana, C. epilobioides, 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. 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. 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
Synonyms C. virgata var. australis
Name authority H. Lewis & Vasek: Madroño 12: 211. (1954) E. Small: Canad. J. Bot. 49: 1216, fig. 4D. (1971)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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