Clarkia exilis
Slender clarkia, Slender Clarkia
(c) Ed Lowry, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Onagraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Clarkia exilis (Slender clarkia) is a native California herb in the Onagraceae family, recognized by glaucous stems and diamond-shaped petals with long claws distinctive.
Slender clarkia is a California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada foothills and Tehachapi Mountains in woodland habitats at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces lavender, pink, or white flowers 5 to 15 millimeters long, often featuring a distinctive dark purple spot on the petal blade. Growing with erect glaucous stems less than 1 meter tall, it has a slender, upright form. Its bright green leaves are lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 1 to 6 centimeters long, with petioles shorter than 5 millimeters or absent. The fruit develops 1.5 to 3 centimeters long, with a narrow width of approximately 2 millimeters.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 35 sympatric species; glaucous stems and diamond-shaped petals with long claws distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Woodland
Elevation: < 1000 m
Bloom period
Clarkia exilis blooms Apr-May.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
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 exilis native to California?
Yes. Clarkia exilis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Clarkia exilis bloom?
Clarkia exilis blooms Apr-May.
What plant family does Clarkia exilis belong to?
Clarkia exilis is in the Onagraceae family, genus Clarkia.
Is Clarkia exilis rare or endangered?
Clarkia exilis carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S3.
What habitat does Clarkia exilis grow in?
Clarkia exilis grows in Woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.