Flora of North America species comparison

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Clarkia pulchella

Clarkia lingulata

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

Merced clarkia
Stems

erect, to 50 cm, glabrous or puberulent.

erect, to 60 cm, puberulent.
Leaves

petiole 0–10 mm;

blade linear to lanceolate, 2–8 cm.

petiole to 15 mm;

blade linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–6 cm.
Inflorescences

racemes, axis straight or recurved;

buds pendent.

Flowers

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.

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.
Capsules

10–30 mm;

pedicel 3–10 mm.

10–20 mm.
Seeds

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

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

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

buds pendent.
2n

= 24.

= 18.

Clarkia pulchella

Clarkia lingulata
Phenology Flowering May–Jul. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Openings in sagebrush and coniferous forests. Open chaparral.
Elevation 500–2200 m. (1600–7200 ft.) 400–500 m. (1300–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; SD; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

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.)
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Clarkia > sect. Clarkia Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Clarkia > sect. Phaeostoma > subsect. Lautiflorae
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. 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
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
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 260, plate 11. (1813) — (as Clarckia) H. Lewis & M. E. Lewis: Madroño 12: 35. (1953)
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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