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beak clarkia

red spotted clarkia, red spotted or redspot clarkia, redspot clarkia

Stems

erect, to 60 cm, puberulent.

erect or decumbent, to 60 cm, puberulent.

Leaves

petiole to 10 mm;

blade lanceolate, 1–6 cm.

petiole 0–5 mm;

blade linear to lanceolate, 1–6 cm.

Inflorescences

open racemes, axis recurved at tip in bud;

buds pendent.

open or dense racemes or panicles, axis straight;

buds erect.

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 5–15 mm;

sepals usually reflexed individually or in pairs, or rarely together to one side, tips not distinct in bud;

corolla bowl-shaped, petals lavender to wine-red, often shading white or pale yellow toward base, unspotted or with bright red or purplish red spot near or proximal to middle, 10–25 mm;

stamens 8, subequal;

ovary 8-grooved;

stigma exserted beyond anthers.

Capsules

10–30 mm, beak 7–15 mm.

15–20 mm.

Seeds

unknown.

brown or gray, 0.7–1 mm, scaly, crest 0.1 mm.

2n

= 18.

Clarkia rostrata

Clarkia speciosa

Phenology Flowering Apr–May.
Habitat Oak-pine woodlands.
Elevation 500 m. (1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
California
[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.)

Subspecies 4 (4 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Petals without red or purplish red spot.
→ 2
2. Stems erect to decumbent; petals dark purplish red to lavender, ± white or pale yellow near base, rarely pale yellow throughout.
subsp. speciosa
2. Stems decumbent; petals lavender to pink shading pale yellow or white in proximal 1/2.
subsp. immaculata
1. Petals with bright red or purplish red spot near or proximal to middle.
→ 3
3. Inflorescences dense racemes.
subsp. nitens
3. Inflorescences open racemes or panicles.
→ 4
4. Petals usually with bright red spot; branches on well-developed plants many, few-flowered.
subsp. speciosa
4. Petals with purplish red spot; branches on well-developed plants virgate, few, many- flowered.
subsp. polyantha
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. Godetia
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. modesta, C. mosquinii, C. prostrata, C. pulchella, C. purpurea, C. rhomboidea, C. rostrata, C. rubicunda, C. similis, C. springvillensis, C. stellata, C. tembloriensis, C. unguiculata, C. virgata, C. williamsonii, C. xantiana
Subordinate taxa
C. speciosa subsp. immaculata, C. speciosa subsp. nitens, C. speciosa subsp. polyantha, C. speciosa subsp. speciosa
Synonyms Oenothera viminea var. parviflora, Godetia parviflora
Name authority W. S. Davis: Brittonia 22: 281. (1970) H. Lewis & M. E. Lewis: Madroño 12: 34. (1953)
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