Clarkia amoena

(Lehmann) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride

Bot. Gaz. 65: 62. 1918.

Common names: Farewell-to-spring
Basionym: Oenothera amoena Lehmann Index Seminum (Hamburg) 1820: 8. 1821
Synonyms: Godetia amoena (Lehmann) G. Don
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 10.

Stems erect to decumbent, 20–200 cm, puberulent. Leaves: petiole to 10 mm; blade lin­ear to lanceolate, 1–6 cm. Inflo­rescences open or dense spikes or racemes, axis straight; buds erect. Flowers: floral-tube 3–10 mm; sepals usually reflexed together to one side, or rarely in pairs or singly; corolla bowl-shaped, petals pale-pink to lavender, usually with red spot or mark near middle, obovate to fan-shaped, 15–60 mm, not lobed, apex sometimes shallowly notched or erose; stamens 8, in 2 subequal sets; ovary cylindrical and 4-grooved or fusiform and 8-grooved, puberulent; stigma exserted or not beyond anthers. Capsules 15–40 mm, sometimes broader distally; pedicel 0–13 mm. Seeds brown to grayish brown, 1–1.5 mm, scaly, crest 0.1 mm.

Distribution

w North America

Discussion

Subspecies 5 (5 in the flora).

Clarkia amoena is closely related to C. rubicunda, which differs morphologically mainly in the color pat­tern of the petals. Petals of C. amoena have a conspicuous red spot or group of small red spots or marks near the middle, whereas those of C. rubicunda have a red area at the base and are not spotted near the middle. The areas of distribution of the two species barely overlap in California just north of San Francisco Bay, and C. rubicunda could be considered a southern geographical race or subspecies of C. amoena were it not that their readily formed hybrids are sterile due to chromosomal rearrangement. Clarkia amoena is one of the parent species of the allotetraploid C. gracilis. Intermediates between subspecies are frequent.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Stigmas not exserted beyond anthers; petals less than 20 mm; coastal British Columbia, Oregon, Washington. Clarkia amoena subsp. caurina
1 Stigmas exserted beyond anthers; petals 15–60 mm. > 2
2 Ovaries 8-grooved, broadly fusiform, 8–12 mm wide. Clarkia amoena subsp. whitneyi
2 Ovaries 4-grooved, cylindrical to subclavate, 2–6 mm wide. > 3
3 Inflorescences open, internodes longer than subtending flowers, bracts sublinear. Clarkia amoena subsp. huntiana
3 Inflorescences congested, internodes shorter than subtending flowers, bracts narrowly lanceolate or wider. > 4
4 Stems decumbent to suberect, to 100 cm; petals 20–35 mm, usually with red spot mid blade; coastal California. Clarkia amoena subsp. amoena
4 Stems erect, to 200 cm; petals 30–40 mm, usually without red spot or with very small spot or streak mid blade; inland Oregon, Washington. Clarkia amoena subsp. lindleyi

"broader" is not a number.

... more about "Clarkia amoena"
notched +
Harlan Lewis† +  and Peter C. Hoch +
- Lehmann A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride +
straight +
Oenothera amoena +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
denticulate +  and entire +
pedicellate +, sessile +, 8-ribbed +  and 4-grooved +
curved +  and straight +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> - 4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> +
elongated +
inconspicuous +
Farewell-to-spring +
bowl--shaped +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> - ? +
w North America +
lanceolate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> - 6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> +
basifixed +  and versatile +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> - 1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> +
actinomorphic +
protandrous +  and bisexual +
pedicellate +  and sessile +
curved +  and straight +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
terete +, 4-angled +, clavate +, fusiform +, cylindrical +  and elongate +
unicellular-papillose +
deciduous +
8-grooved +  and 4-grooved +
fusiform +  and cylindrical +
numerous +  and 1 +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> - 1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> +
pale-pink +  and lavender +
not lobed +, obovate +  and fan-shaped +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> - 6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> - 1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> +
red +, lavender +, blue-gray +, yellow +  and cream +
basal +  and cauline +
several +  and 1 +
clavate +  and globose +
brown +  and grayish brown +
few +  and numerous +
sculptured +  and smooth +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> - 0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> +
pink +  and purplish red +
deciduous +
0 +  and 1 +
parenchymatous +
parietal +, axile +  and placentation +
1 +, 4 +  and 2 +
unequal +
subequal +
aquatic +, amphibious +  and terrestrial +
subequal +
2 times as many or as many as sepals +
unbranched +  and sparsely branched +
decumbent +  and prostrate +
erect +  and decumbent +
puberulent +
slender +  and stout +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> - 200 cm2,000 mm <br />2 m <br /> +
not +  and exserted +
petiolate +  and sessile +
intrapetiolar +
aquatic +, amphibious +  and terrestrial +
Godetia amoena +
Clarkia amoena +
Clarkia subsect. Primigenia +
species +
3 - -5-aperturate +
short-acute +
smooth +  and erose +
papillate +