Clarkia delicata
Encyclopedia
Clarkia delicata is a rare species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family
known by the common names Campo clarkia and delicate clarkia. It is native to northern Baja California
and adjacent San Diego County, California
, where it grows in the woodland and chaparral
of the Peninsular Ranges
. This is an annual herb producing an erect stem just over half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are oval or widely lance-shaped, up to 4 centimeters long, and borne on very short petioles
. The top of the stem is occupied by the inflorescence
, in which the lower flowers open while the upper buds hang closed. The sepal
s remain fused as the flower blooms from one side. Each unlobed oval petal is about a centimeter long and pink to pinkish-lavender. There are 8 stamen
s, some with large orange anthers and some with smaller, paler anthers. There is also a protruding stigma
with four large, fuzzy lobes.
Onagraceae
Onagraceae, also known as the Willowherb family or Evening Primrose family, are a family of flowering plants. The family includes about 640-650 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees in 20-24 genera...
known by the common names Campo clarkia and delicate clarkia. It is native to northern Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
and adjacent San Diego County, California
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
, where it grows in the woodland and chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
of the Peninsular Ranges
Peninsular Ranges
The Peninsular Ranges are a group of mountain ranges, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, which stretch from southern California in the United States to the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska...
. This is an annual herb producing an erect stem just over half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are oval or widely lance-shaped, up to 4 centimeters long, and borne on very short petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. The top of the stem is occupied by the inflorescence
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. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
, in which the lower flowers open while the upper buds hang closed. The sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s remain fused as the flower blooms from one side. Each unlobed oval petal is about a centimeter long and pink to pinkish-lavender. There are 8 stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s, some with large orange anthers and some with smaller, paler anthers. There is also a protruding stigma
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
with four large, fuzzy lobes.