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Merced clarkia

California gaura, heterogaura, mountain clarkia

Stems

erect, to 60 cm, puberulent.

erect, to 60 cm, glandular puberulent.

Leaves

petiole to 15 mm;

blade linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–6 cm.

petiole 5–20 mm;

blade lanceolate to ovate, 2–8 cm.

Inflorescences

open racemes or panicles, axis straight;

buds erect.

Flowers

floral tube 1–4 mm;

sepals reflexed together to 1 side;

corolla rotate, petals bright pink, red-flecked or not, oblanceolate, 10–20 mm, apex subentire or minutely notched;

stamens 8, unequal, outer anthers lavender, inner smaller, paler.

sometimes autogamous;

floral tube 1–2 mm;

sepals reflexed together to 1 side;

corolla rotate, petals elliptic to obovate, tapered to claw;

stamens 8, unequal, anthers cream or light pink, inner ones smaller, sterile;

ovary subglobose, grooves obscure;

stigma not exserted beyond anthers.

Capsules

10–20 mm.

2–3 mm, indehiscent, nutlike;

sessile or pedicellate (to 2 mm).

Seeds

brown, 1 mm, minutely scaly to puberulent, crest inconspicuous.

1 or 2.

Inflores

-cences open racemes, axis recurved at tip in bud;

buds pendent.

2n

= 18.

= 18.

Clarkia lingulata

Clarkia heterandra

Phenology Flowering May–Jun. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Open chaparral. Shady sites, woodlands, yellow-pine forests.
Elevation 400–500 m. (1300–1600 ft.) 500–2000 m. (1600–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Clarkia lingulata is listed as endangered by the State of California, known from only a few populations in Merced River Canyon, Mariposa County. It is derived from C. biloba subsp. australis, from which it can be distinguished morphologically by its narrower, unlobed petals; the two taxa also differ in chromosome number, and form only highly sterile hybrids.

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

Clarkia heterandra occurs in southern Oregon and California, where it is known from the Klamath Ranges in Trinity County, widely in the Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountain area from Nevada to Kern counties, and in the South Coast and Transverse Ranges from San Luis Obispo to Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Prior to 1986, Clarkia heterandra was treated as the monotypic genus Heterogaura, thought to be possibly related to the genus Gaura (now a section of Oenothera) due to its similar indehiscent fruits. However, molecular data indicate that C. heterandra is clearly within Clarkia, most closely related to C. dudleyana and C. unguiculata, which suggests a possible hybrid origin at the diploid level (K. J. Sytsma and L. D. Gottlieb 1986, 1986b; W. L. Wagner et al. 2007). Clarkia dudleyana and C. unguiculata produce spontaneous hybrids when grown adjacent to each other if they come from allopatric populations.

(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. Lautiflorae Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Clarkia > sect. Phaeostoma > subsect. Heterogaura
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. exilis, C. franciscana, C. gracilis, C. heterandra, C. imbricata, C. jolonensis, C. lassenensis, C. lewisii, 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. 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 Gaura heterandra, Heterogaura heterandra
Name authority H. Lewis & M. E. Lewis: Madroño 12: 35. (1953) (Torrey) H. Lewis & P. H. Raven: Madroño 39: 163. (1992)
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