Flora of North America species comparison

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Clarkia virgata

Clarkia australis

clarkia, Sierra clarkia

Small's southern clarkia
Stems

erect, to 100 cm, puberulent.

erect, to 100 cm, puberulent.
Leaves

petiole 15–50 mm;

blade elliptic to ovate, 2–5 cm.

petiole 10–30 mm;

blade linear to lanceolate, 2–5 cm.
Inflorescences

open racemes, axis recurved only at tip in bud, straight 4+ nodes distal to open flowers;

buds pendent, narrowly obovoid, tip obtuse.

open racemes, axis recurved only at tip in bud, straight 4+ nodes distal to open flowers;

buds pendent, narrowly obovoid, tip obtuse.
Flowers

floral tube 2–4 mm;

sepals reflexed individually;

corolla rotate, petals lavender-purple, mottled or spotted with reddish purple, ± rhombic, unlobed, 7–14 × 3–7 mm, length 1.9–3 times width;

stamens 8, subequal, subtended by ciliate scales, pollen blue-gray;

ovary shallowly 4-grooved;

stigma not or rarely exserted beyond anthers.

floral tube 2–4 mm;

sepals reflexed individually;

corolla rotate, petals lavender-purple, mottled or spotted reddish purple, ± rhombic, unlobed, 6–12(–14) ×3–7 mm, length 2.2–3 times width;

stamens 8, subequal, subtended by ciliate scales, pollen blue-gray;

ovary shallowly 4-grooved;

stigma exserted beyond anthers.
Capsules

10–20 mm;

pedicel 1–4 mm.

10–20 mm;

pedicel 0–4 mm.
Seeds

brown or gray, 1–1.5 mm, scaly-echinate, crest 0.1 mm.

brown, 1–1.5 mm, scaly.
2n

= 10.

= 10.

Clarkia virgata

Clarkia australis
Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Yellow-pine forests, foothill woodlands. Yellow-pine forests.
Elevation 400–1100 m. (1300–3600 ft.) 800–1500 m. (2600–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Clarkia virgata is known primarily from El Dorado to Tuolumne counties in the north-central Sierra Nevada range, with scattered collections to Mariposa and Yuba counties.

Clarkia virgata is very similar to C. mosquinii and C. australis and is probably derived from the former through chromosome reduction in number and rearrangement and may be ancestral to the latter, which differs in chromosome arrangement. Experimental hybrids in all combinations have very low fertility. The three species are difficult to distinguish morphologically but replace one another ecogeographically with C. australis in the south and C. virgata in the middle with non-overlapping distributions. Other than geographical distribution, C. virgata is usually distinguishable from C. mosquinii by having narrower petal blades and from C. australis by having broader leaves.

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

Clarkia australis is found in the foothills of the central Sierra Nevada range, from Calaveras, Madera, Mariposa, and Tuolumne counties, and has been designated as rare by the California Native Plant Society.

Clarkia australis is morphologically very similar to C. virgata and, based on its more southern distribution, may be derived from it. They are most readily distinguished morphologically by the narrower leaves of C. australis.

(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. Myxocarpa
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. stellata, C. tembloriensis, C. unguiculata, C. williamsonii, C. xantiana
C. affinis, C. amoena, C. arcuata, 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. stellata, C. tembloriensis, C. unguiculata, C. virgata, C. williamsonii, C. xantiana
Synonyms C. virgata var. australis
Name authority Greene: Erythea 3: 123. (1895) E. Small: Canad. J. Bot. 49: 1216, fig. 4D. (1971)
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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