Clarkia breweri
Brewer's clarkia
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Onagraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.2
Clarkia breweri (Brewer's clarkia) is a native California herb in the Onagraceae family, recognized by long hypanthium, 3-lobed petals, and 4 stamens.
Brewer's clarkia is a California native annual found in southeastern San Francisco Bay Mount Hamilton Range and southern Coast Ranges in chaparral and talus habitats at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to June, this delicate plant produces pink flowers with distinctive three-lobed petals 15 to 25 millimeters long, each petal slightly longer in the center. Growing with slender decumbent or erect stems less than 20 centimeters tall and glabrous or sparsely puberulent, it has an elegant, compact form. Its leaves are linear to lanceolate, ranging 2 to 5 centimeters long with petioles less than 2 centimeters. The flower's hypanthium is slender and 20 to 35 millimeters long, with sepals ranging from green to magenta.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 16 sympatric species; key features are long hypanthium, 3-lobed petals, and 4 stamens
Habitat and range
Habitat: Chaparral, talus, occasionally serpentine
Elevation: < 1000 m
California counties: Merced, Stanislaus, Santa Clara, San Benito, Alameda, Santa Cruz, Napa, Fresno, Monterey, Sonoma
Bloom period
Clarkia breweri blooms Apr-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.2
How to tell it apart
vs Epilobium: Clarkia seeds lack a hair tuft and its petals are broad, often clawed or lobed; Epilobium and Chamerion have seeds bearing a tuft of silky hairs and long, thin capsules.; vs Oenothera: Clarkia flowers are pink to lavender-purple and its buds nod before opening; Oenothera flowers are generally yellow (or white), larger, and open at dusk.; vs Camissonia: Clarkia petals are pink-purple, often fan-shaped or lobed with a distinct claw; Camissonia and Camissoniopsis have yellow, unlobed petals.; vs Sidalcea: Clarkia has 4 petals, an inferior ovary, and a 4-lobed stigma; Sidalcea (checkerbloom) has 5 petals, a superior ovary, and a central mallow staminal column.; vs Gayophytum: Clarkia is showy with petals 10-35 mm; Gayophytum has minute white-to-pink flowers only a few mm across on thread-like branches.
Frequently asked questions
Is Clarkia breweri native to California?
Yes. Clarkia breweri is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Clarkia breweri bloom?
Clarkia breweri blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Clarkia breweri grow?
Clarkia breweri occurs in Merced, Stanislaus, Santa Clara, San Benito, Alameda, Santa Cruz, Napa, Fresno and other counties, at elevations of < 1000 m.
What plant family does Clarkia breweri belong to?
Clarkia breweri is in the Onagraceae family, genus Clarkia.
Is Clarkia breweri rare or endangered?
Clarkia breweri carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.2, state rank S4.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.