Clarkia

Clarkia is a genus within the flowering plant family Onagraceae. Over 40 species are currently classified in Clarkia; almost all are native to western North America, though one species (Clarkia tenella) is native to South America.

Clarkias are typically annual herbs, growing either prostrate or erect to a height of less than 2 metres. Their leaves are small and simple, from 1 to 10 cm in length depending on the species. Their flowers have four sepals and four petals, usually white, pink, or red, and are often spotted or streaked. Their fruit are elongated, cylindrical pods, usually 4-grooved or 8-grooved, and when mature they hold many tiny, cubical seeds.

Several members of the genus are sometimes referred to by the common name "godetia", including Clarkia amoena, Clarkia affinis, and Clarkia lassenensis (the Lassen godetia). This is because they were formerly classified in a genus called Godetia, which is no longer recognised since its members have been absorbed into the genus Clarkia. Older sources may still use Godetia as a genus name.

The genus was named in honour of the explorer Captain William Clark. Unofficially, the genus is sometimes referred to as Yorkia, in honor of York, an African-American member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The Royal Navy had a warship called , a .

Cultivation

Some species are popular garden plants, for example the Clarkia unguiculata (mountain garland), Clarkia speciosa (redspot clarkia), Clarkia amoena (farewell to spring) and Clarkia bottae. There are cultivated varieties of some of these species.

Ecology

Clarkia species play important roles in their local ecosystems, as they provide habitat for native pollinators. Some pollinators even rely on Clarkia exclusively, such as the "clarkia bee". They are also used as host plants by some species as caterpillars, such as sphingid moths.

Species

As of August 2023Template:Dated maintenance category (articles), Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
File:Clarkia affinis.jpg	Clarkia affinis Template:Au	California
File:Clarkia amoena.jpg	Clarkia amoena Template:Au	British Columbia south to the San Francisco Bay Area.
File:Clarkia arcuata.jpeg	Clarkia arcuata Template:Au	California
	Clarkia australis Template:Au	California
File:Clarkia biloba.jpg	Clarkia biloba Template:Au	Sierra Nevada foothills
	Clarkia borealis Template:Au	southern Klamath Range and the southernmost Cascade Range foothills.
File:Clarkiabottaebloom.jpg	Clarkia bottae Template:Au	southern California
File:Clarkia breweri.jpg	Clarkia breweri Template:Au	California
File:Clarkia concinna.jpg	Clarkia concinna Template:Au	California
File:Clarkiacylindrica.jpg	Clarkia cylindrica Template:Au	southern California Coast Ranges, western Transverse Ranges, and southern Sierra Nevada foothills.
File:Clarkiadavyi.jpg	Clarkia davyi Template:Au	California
File:Clarkiadelicata1.jpg	Clarkia delicata Template:Au	northern Baja California and adjacent San Diego County, California
File:Clarkia dudleyana 78150543.jpg	Clarkia dudleyana Template:Au	Transverse Ranges and the southern Sierra Nevada foothills.
File:Clarkiaepilobioides.jpg	Clarkia epilobioides Template:Au	California, Arizona, and Baja California
File:Clarkia-exilis3.jpg	Clarkia exilis Template:Au	western North America.
File:Presidio Clarkia 10 (4694508084).jpg	Clarkia franciscana Template:Au	San Francisco Bay Area
File:Clarkia gracilis.jpg	Clarkia gracilis Template:Au	California, Oregon, and Washington
File:File from Flickr (48070201267).jpg	Clarkia heterandra Template:Au	California
File:Clarkia imbricata.jpg	Clarkia imbricata Template:Au	Sonoma County, California
File:Clarkia jolonensis (14316711046).jpg	Clarkia jolonensis Template:Au	Monterey County, California
	Clarkia lassenensis Template:Au	California, Oregon, and Nevada
	Clarkia lewisii Template:Au	mountains of Monterey and San Benito Counties
	Clarkia lingulata Template:Au	Mariposa County, California
File:Clarkia mildrediae ssp. lutescens.jpeg	Clarkia mildrediae Template:Au	southernmost Cascade Range and northern Sierra Nevada.
File:Clarkia modesta.jpg	Clarkia modesta Template:Au	North and Central Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada foothills.
File:Clarkia mosquinii.jpeg	Clarkia mosquinii Template:Au	northern Sierra Nevada foothills at the border between Butte and Plumas Counties.
	Clarkia prostrata Template:Au	San Luis Obispo County, California
File:Clarkia pulchella-5-10-05.jpg	Clarkia pulchella Template:Au	Pacific Northwest mainly east of the Cascade Range in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, the southern margin of British Columbia
File:Clarkiapurpurea3.jpg	Clarkia purpurea Template:Au	Baja California; California; Arizona; Oregon; Washington; and British Columbia.
File:Clarkiarhomboidea.jpg	Clarkia rhomboidea Template:Au	western North America
	Clarkia rostrata Template:Au	the California oak woodlands of the Sierra Nevada foothills around the Merced River in Mariposa County.
File:Ruby chalice clarkia (Clarkia rubicunda) (7778062648).jpg	Clarkia rubicunda Template:Au	Central Coast California
	Clarkia similis Template:Au	California
File:Clarkia speciosa subsp. speciosa.jpg	Clarkia speciosa Template:Au	California Central Coast and mountains and from the Sierra Nevada foothills.
File:Clarkiaspringvillensis.jpg	Clarkia springvillensis Template:Au	Tulare County, California
	Clarkia stellata Template:Au	Lake Almanor
	Clarkia tembloriensis Template:Au	San Joaquin Valley, and into the adjacent Inner South California Coast Ranges
	Clarkia tenella Template:Au	Chile and Argentina
File:Clarkia unguiculata.jpg	Clarkia unguiculata Template:Au	California
	Clarkia virgata Template:Au	Sierra Nevada.
File:Clarkia williamsonii (3).jpg	Clarkia williamsonii Template:Au	northern and central Sierra Nevada foothills.
File:Clarkia xantiana.jpg	Clarkia xantiana Template:Au	southern Sierra Nevada and its foothills and the adjacent Transverse Ranges.

External links

• Template:Sister-inline
• Template:Sister-inline
• Jepson Manual treatment of the genus