Flora of North America species comparison

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Clarkia stellata

Clarkia pulchella

Lake Almanor clarkia, lake amador clarkia

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

erect, to 100 cm, puberulent.

erect, to 50 cm, glabrous or puberulent.
Leaves

petiole 5–30 mm;

blade lanceolate to elliptic or ovate, 1–5 cm.

petiole 0–10 mm;

blade linear to lanceolate, 2–8 cm.
Inflorescences

open racemes, axis in bud recurved 1–3 nodes distal to open flowers;

buds pendent, narrowly obovoid, tip acute.

racemes, axis straight or recurved;

buds pendent.
Flowers

floral tube 1.5–2 mm;

sepals reflexed individually;

corolla rotate, petals lavender-purple, not dark-flecked or spotted, obovate, 6–8 × 3–5 mm, inconspicuously 3-lobed;

stamens 8, subequal, subtended by ciliate scales, pollen yellow;

ovary shallowly 4-grooved, puberulent;

stigma not exserted beyond anthers.

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.
Capsules

20–25 mm;

pedicel 1–3 mm.

10–30 mm;

pedicel 3–10 mm.
Seeds

unknown.

dark brown, 1 mm, scaly, crest to 0.1 mm, inconspicuous.
2n

= 14.

= 24.

Clarkia stellata

Clarkia pulchella
Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Open coniferous forests. Openings in sagebrush and coniferous forests.
Elevation 1000–1500 m. (3300–4900 ft.) 500–2200 m. (1600–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; SD; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Clarkia stellata is known from the southern Cascade–northern Sierra Nevada region, including Lassen, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, and Tehama counties (with unverified reports from Butte and Modoc counties).

Clarkia stellata is probably a self-pollinating derivative of C. mildrediae subsp. lutescens, to judge from pollen color. The two species are readily distinguishedby the much smaller flowers of C. stellata and the position of the stigma. Hybrids have low fertility due to chromosomal rearrangement. Clarkia stellata is morphologically very similar to the self-pollinating tetraploid C. rhomboidea but can be distinguished from it by yellow pollen and shallowly lobed, unspotted petals.

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

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.)
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Clarkia > sect. Myxocarpa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Onagreae > Clarkia > sect. Clarkia
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. rostrata, C. rubicunda, C. similis, C. speciosa, C. springvillensis, 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. 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 Mosquin: Leafl. W. Bot. 9: 215. (1962) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 260, plate 11. (1813) — (as Clarckia)
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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