Clarkia rubicunda
Clarkia gracilis
farewell-to-spring, ruby chalice clarkia
graceful clarkia, slender clarkia, slender godetia
erect or decumbent, to 150 cm, puberulent;
buds erect.
erect, to 90 cm, glabrous or puberulent.
petiole to 10 mm;
blade lanceolate to elliptic, 1–4 cm.
petiole to 11 mm;
blade linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–7 cm.
open or dense spikes or racemes, axis straight;
buds erect.
racemes, axis recurved at tip in bud;
buds pendent.
floral tube 4–10 mm;
sepals reflexed together to one side;
corolla bowl-shaped, petals pink to lavender, base red or purplish red, fan-shaped, 10–30 mm, apex erose;
stamens 8, subequal;
ovary cylindrical, 4-grooved, puberulent;
stigma exserted beyond anthers.
floral tube 1.5–10 mm;
corolla bowl-shaped, petals pink to lavender or light purple, often lighter toward base, unspotted or with red spot near middle or base, obovate or obdeltate, 6–40 mm;
stamens 8, subequal;
ovary 4-grooved, puberulent;
stigma exserted or not beyond anthers.
20–40 mm;
pedicel 0–25(–40) mm.
25–50 mm, usually wider distally;
pedicel 0–10 mm.
brown to grayish brown, 1.2–1.5 mm, scaly, crest 0.2 mm.
brown or mottled with dark spots, 1.5–2 mm, scaly, crest 0.1 mm.
= 14.
Clarkia rubicunda
Clarkia gracilis
Clarkia rubicunda is known from the central coast of California, from Contra Costa and Marin counties south along the coast and foothills to northern San Luis Obispo County.
Clarkia rubicunda is probably a derivative of C. amoena and may be ancestral to C. franciscana. Clarkia rubicunda is distinguishable from some populations of C. amoena only by the absence of a red spot or group of spots near the middle of the petal and the presence of a red area at the base of the petal. Clarkia rubicunda can be distinguished from C. franciscana by the position of the stigma and size and shape of the petals. All three species differ in chromosome arrangement and hybrids are highly sterile.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Subspecies 4 (4 in the flora).
Clarkia gracilis is a tetraploid derived from C. amoena and an unknown, presumably extinct, species related to C. arcuata and C. lassenensis. Clarkia gracilis is readily distinguished from C. amoena by the axis of the inflorescence in bud, which is not recurved in C. amoena; it is distinguished from C. arcuata and C. lassenensis by its four rather than eight-grooved ovary.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Stigmas not exserted beyond anthers; petals 6–23 mm. | subsp. gracilis |
1. Stigmas exserted beyond anthers; petals20–40 mm. | → 2 |
2. Petals with red spot near mid blade, base of blades white. | subsp. sonomensis |
2. Petals unspotted, base of blades red or bright red. | → 3 |
3. Petals 20–30 mm. | subsp. tracyi |
3. Petals 30–40 mm. | subsp. albicaulis |
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
