''Clarkia gracilis'' is a species of wildflower known by the common name slender clarkia. This plant is native to the US states of California, Oregon, and Washington, where it is found in coastal, foothill, valley, and low-elevation mountain habitats. The plant is variable across subspecies but is generally an erect slender stem with a few sparse, narrow leaves several centimeters long. It bears an
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
of drooping buds which open into bowl-shaped flowers with pinkish lavender petals 1 to 4 centimeters long and bearing a red or white splotch which can appear in the center or at the base of the petal, depending on the subspecies.
Subspecies:
*''C. g.'' ssp. ''albicaulis'' - (white-stemmed clarkia) - an uncommon subspecies known only from
Butte County, California
*''C. g.'' ssp. ''gracilis'' - a more common subspecies
*''C. g.'' ssp. ''sonomensis'' - (Sonoma clarkia) - found in northern California and southern Oregon
*''C. g.'' ssp. ''tracyi'' - (Tracy's clarkia) - limited to the inland
Northern Coast Ranges
The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges and the Klamath Mountains.
Phy ...
of California
External links
Jepson Manual ProfilePhoto galleryssp. ''albicaulis'' photosssp. ''sonomensis'' photosssp. ''tracyi'' photos
gracilis
Plants described in 1917
{{Myrtales-stub