''Clarkia jolonensis'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name Jolon 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 ...

Monterey County, California Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Monte ...

, where it is known from the woodlands of the Central Coast Ranges.

Description

This is an erect annual herb growing a hairless, waxy stem up to about half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are lance-shaped and a few centimeters long. The top of the stem is occupied by an erect

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 ...

with opening flowers below an erect array of closed, hanging flower buds. The

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 of the bud remain fused as it opens into a bloom. The fan-shaped lavender petals are often flecked with red and tinted with pink, each measuring one or two centimeters long. 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, some of which have large lavender anthers, and some bearing smaller, paler anthers. This plant is very similar to, and historically confused with, '' Clarkia lewisii'', which differs from ''C. jolonensis'' in that the former has a curved

with closely packed nodding flower buds, while the latter has an erect, widely spaced inflorescence.Elkhorn Slough Local Plant Profile
/ref> Some of the few known occurrences of this plant may actually be its sister species, making it rarer than officially listed.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Profile
jolonensis Endemic flora of California Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of Monterey County, California Plants described in 1970 {{Myrtales-stub