''Clarkia imbricata'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name Vine Hill clarkia. It 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 elsew ...

Sonoma County, California Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...

, where it is known from only one remaining natural occurrence near Vine Hill. A second natural population located on private land was extirpated when the owners plowed up the soil crust. The California Native Plant Society has established a third population from cuttings and is tending it in a reserve.US Fish and Wildlife Species Account
/ref> This is a federally listed

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

. Vine Hill clarkia is an annual herb growing erect to about half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are lance-shaped and about 2 centimeters long. The

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 ...

is a dense array of open flowers and erect closed flower buds. The four

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 coined b ...

s separate when the flower opens. The petals are fan-shaped with frilly edges, measuring 2 to 2.5 centimeters long. They are lavender with a wash of white near the base and a wedge of darker lavender above. There are 8

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s with anthers of equal size, and a protruding stigma.

References

External links

''Clarkia imbricata''.
The Jepson Manual eFlora 2012.
CalPhotos

imbricata This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help those unfamiliar with classical languages to understand and remember the scientific names of organisms. The binomial nomenclature used for animals and plants i ...

Endemic flora of California Natural history of Sonoma County, California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Endemic flora of the San Francisco Bay Area Plants described in 1953 {{Myrtales-stub