''Clarkia lingulata'' is a rare species of wildflower known by the common name Merced clarkia. 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 elsew ...

Mariposa County, California Mariposa County () is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,131. The county seat is Mariposa. It is located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, north of Fresno, east of ...

, where it is known from only two sites near the

Merced River The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and st ...

. It is thought to have evolved very rapidly, outside the usual model of

allopatric speciation Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

, from its parental species ''

Clarkia biloba ''Clarkia biloba'' is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name twolobe clarkia and two lobed clarkia.

''. It is a state-listed endangered species in California.

Description

''Clarkia lingulata'' erects a spindly stem rarely exceeding in height and bearing sparse narrow leaves. The saucer-shaped flowers have four bright pink spoon-shaped petals 1 to 2 centimeters long and sometimes flecked with red. There are eight

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 lavender anthers.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Profile — ''Clarkia lingulata''''Clarkia lingulata'' — U.C. Photo gallery

lingulata Lingulata is a class of brachiopods, among the oldest of all brachiopods having existed since the Cambrian period (). They are also among the most morphologically conservative of the brachiopods, having lasted from their earliest appearance to the ...

Endemic flora of California Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) ~ Natural history of Mariposa County, California Plants described in 1953 {{Myrtales-stub