''Clarkia unguiculata'' is a species of

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the ...

known by the common name elegant clarkia or mountain garland. This plant is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, where it is found in many woodland

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s. Specifically it is common on the forest floor of many

oak woodland An oak woodland is a plant community with a tree canopy dominated by oaks (''Quercus spp.''). In terms of canopy closure, oak woodlands are intermediate between oak savanna, which is more open, and oak forest, which is more closed. Although the ...

s, along with typical

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abo ...

wildflowers that include ''

Calochortus luteus ''Calochortus luteus'', the yellow mariposa lily, is a mariposa lily endemic to California. Description The primarily bright deep yellow flower is 3–5 cm across and perianth bulb-shaped, lined red-brown inside, often also with central re ...

'', '' Cynoglossum grande'' and ''

Delphinium variegatum ''Delphinium variegatum'' is a species of larkspur known by the common name royal larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it grows in mountains, valley and coast in woodlands and grasslands. On the forest floor of California oak woodlands t ...

''. ''C. unguiculata'' presents a spindly, hairless, waxy stem not exceeding a meter in height and bears occasional narrow leaves. The showy flowers have hairy, fused

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s forming a cup beneath the corolla, and four petals each one to 2.5 centimeters long. The paddle-like petals are a shade of pink to reddish to purple and are slender and diamond-shaped or triangular. There are eight long stamens, the outer four of which have large red anthers. The stigma protrudes from the flower and can be quite large. Flowers of the genus ''Clarkia'' are primarily pollinated by specialist bees found in their native habitat "Clarkias independently developed self-pollination in 12 lineages."Moeller, D. A., et al. 2005.

References

* C. Michael Hogan. 2009
''Gold Nuggets: Calochortus luteus'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
* ''Jepson Manual''. 1993
''Clarkia unguiculata''
*Moeller, D. A., et al. 2005
Ecological context of the evolution of self-pollination in ''Clarkia xantiana'': Population size, plant communities, and reproductive assurance.
''Evolution''. 59(4):786-99.

External links

Calphotos photo gallery
unguiculata Endemic flora of California Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Plants described in 1837 Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Myrtales-stub