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.[1]
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.[2]
The Royal Navy had a warship called, a .
Some species are popular garden plants, for example the mountain garland, Clarkia unguiculata, the redspot clarkia, Clarkia speciosa, Farewell to Spring, Clarkia amoena and Clarkia bottae. There are cultivated varieties of some of these species.
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".[3] They are also used as host plants by some species as caterpillars, such as Sphingidae moths.[4]
, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Clarkia affinis | California | |
| Clarkia amoena | British Columbia south to the San Francisco Bay Area. | |
| Clarkia arcuata | California | |
| Clarkia australis | California | |
| Clarkia biloba | Sierra Nevada foothills | |
| Clarkia borealis | southern Klamath Range and the southernmost Cascade Range foothills. | |
| Clarkia bottae | southern California | |
| Clarkia breweri | California | |
| Clarkia concinna | California | |
| Clarkia cylindrica | southern California Coast Ranges, western Transverse Ranges, and southern Sierra Nevada foothills. | |
| Clarkia davyi | California | |
| Clarkia delicata | northern Baja California and adjacent San Diego County, California | |
| Clarkia dudleyana | Transverse Ranges and the southern Sierra Nevada foothills. | |
| Clarkia epilobioides | California, Arizona, and Baja California | |
| Clarkia exilis | western North America. | |
| Clarkia franciscana | San Francisco Bay Area | |
| Clarkia gracilis | California, Oregon, and Washington | |
| Clarkia heterandra | California | |
| Clarkia imbricata | Sonoma County, California | |
| Clarkia jolonensis | Monterey County, California | |
| Clarkia lassenensis | California, Oregon, and Nevada | |
| Clarkia lewisii | mountains of Monterey and San Benito Counties | |
| Clarkia lingulata | Mariposa County, California | |
| Clarkia mildrediae | southernmost Cascade Range and northern Sierra Nevada. | |
| Clarkia modesta | North and Central Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada foothills. | |
| Clarkia mosquinii | northern Sierra Nevada foothills at the border between Butte and Plumas Counties. | |
| Clarkia prostrata | San Luis Obispo County, California | |
| Clarkia pulchella | Pacific Northwest mainly east of the Cascade Range in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, the southern margin of British Columbia | |
| Clarkia purpurea | Baja California; California; Arizona; Oregon; Washington; and British Columbia. | |
| Clarkia rhomboidea | western North America | |
| Clarkia rostrata | the California oak woodlands of the Sierra Nevada foothills around the Merced River in Mariposa County. | |
| Clarkia rubicunda | Central Coast California | |
| Clarkia similis | California | |
| Clarkia speciosa | California Central Coast and mountains and from the Sierra Nevada foothills. | |
| Clarkia springvillensis | Tulare County, California | |
| Clarkia stellata | Lake Almanor | |
| Clarkia tembloriensis | San Joaquin Valley, and into the adjacent Inner South California Coast Ranges | |
| Clarkia tenella | Chile and Argentina | |
| Clarkia unguiculata | California | |
| Clarkia virgata | Sierra Nevada. | |
| Clarkia williamsonii | northern and central Sierra Nevada foothills. | |
| Clarkia xantiana | southern Sierra Nevada and its foothills and the adjacent Transverse Ranges. | |