Clarkia tembloriensis
Encyclopedia
Clarkia tembloriensis is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family
known by the common name Temblor Range clarkia.
, where it is found in the southern San Joaquin Valley
and adjacent ranges to the east and west, including the Temblor Range
.
has open flowers and hanging closed buds. The fuzzy greenish sepal
s stay fused together as the petals bloom from one side. The herbage may be tinted with red.
The flower petals have diamond-shaped blades at the end of long claws. They are pinkish-lavender, sometimes with a large purple spot near the base. There are 8 stamen
s, some with large red or purple anthers and some with smaller, paler anthers.
where the Central Valley becomes the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. This subspecies was originally described as a species named Clarkia calientensis, and analyses suggest that it should probably be returned to species status.
.
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 name Temblor Range clarkia.
Distribution
It is endemic to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is found in the southern San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
and adjacent ranges to the east and west, including the Temblor Range
Temblor Range
The Temblor Range is a mountain range within the California Coast Ranges, at the southwestern extremity of the San Joaquin Valley in California in the United States. It runs in a northwest-southeasterly direction along the borders of Kern County and San Luis Obispo County. The name of the range is...
.
Description
This species is an erect annual herb exceeding half a meter in maximum height. The lance-shaped leaves are gray-green in color and waxy, reaching 7 centimeters long. The inflorescenceInflorescence
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...
has open flowers and hanging closed buds. The fuzzy greenish 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 stay fused together as the petals bloom from one side. The herbage may be tinted with red.
The flower petals have diamond-shaped blades at the end of long claws. They are pinkish-lavender, sometimes with a large purple spot near the base. There are 8 stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s, some with large red or purple anthers and some with smaller, paler anthers.
Subspecies
It is made up of two subspecies. The more rare of the two, Vasek's clarkia, Clarkia tembloriensis ssp. calientensis, is found at only three sites near Caliente Creek in the Caliente Hills of central Kern CountyKern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
where the Central Valley becomes the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. This subspecies was originally described as a species named Clarkia calientensis, and analyses suggest that it should probably be returned to species status.
Conservation
The rarer subspecies calientensis is considered quite vulnerable to extinction in part because it is already so rare and in part because all of the known populations are unprotected on privately owned land, including some land owned by Tejon RanchTejon Ranch
The Tejon Ranch Company , based in Lebec, California, is one of the largest private landowners in California. [The federally-gifted lands still held by the Catellus Corporation, a successor to the Southern Pacific Land Company, are much more extensive.] It was incorporated in 1936 to organise the...
.