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beak clarkia

Waltham Creek clarkia

Stems

erect, to 60 cm, puberulent.

erect, 20–70 cm, puberulent.

Leaves

petiole to 10 mm;

blade lanceolate, 1–6 cm.

petiole 5–15 mm;

blade linear to narrowly lanceolate or elliptic, 2–4 cm.

Inflorescences

open racemes, axis recurved at tip in bud;

buds pendent.

open racemes, axis recurved at tip in bud;

buds pendent.

Flowers

floral tube 1.5–2.5 mm, with ring of hairs at distal margin inside;

sepals reflexed together to 1 side;

corolla bowl-shaped, petals pinkish lavender shading white near middle, often flecked reddish purple, base reddish purple, 10–25 mm;

stamens 8, unequal, width of all filaments equal or inner slightly thinner, outer anthers lavender, inner smaller, paler.

floral tube 1–3 mm;

sepals reflexed together to 1 side;

corolla generally rotate, petals usually arranged in lateral pairs, pink, usually darker flecked, oblanceolate to diamond-shaped, scarcely clawed, 8–12 mm;

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

Capsules

10–30 mm, beak 7–15 mm.

15–30 mm.

Seeds

unknown.

brown, 0.8–1 mm, tuberculate, crest inconspicuous.

2n

= 18.

= 16.

Clarkia rostrata

Clarkia modesta

Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Oak-pine woodlands. Sandy places in woodlands.
Elevation 500 m. (1600 ft.) 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Clarkia rostrata is known only from the Merced River drainage in the central Sierra Nevada Foothills, including Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, and (barely) Tuolumne counties. Because of its very limited distribution, C. rostrata is listed as rare by the California Native Plant Society.

Clarkia rostrata is closely related to C. cylindrica and C. lewisii but can be distinguished readily from both by the conspicuous beak of the capsule.

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

Clarkia modesta occurs mainly in the Inner North Coast Ranges, the San Francisco Bay area, and the South Coast Ranges, from Trinity to Santa Barbara counties, and in the central and southern Sierra Nevada Foothills, from Mariposa to Tulare counties.

Clarkia modesta is one of the parents of the tetraploid species C. similis, from which it differs by having darker pink petals.

(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. Sympherica 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. pulchella, C. purpurea, C. rhomboidea, 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. 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 W. S. Davis: Brittonia 22: 281. (1970) Jepson: Man. Fl. Pl. Calif., 673. (1925)
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