Clarkia gracilis
Clarkia
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Onagraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Clarkia gracilis (Clarkia) is a native California herb in the Onagraceae family.
Clarkia is a California native annual herb found in diverse habitats across California at elevations ranging from low to moderate terrain. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces delicate pink-lavender flowers with a bowl-shaped corolla, often lighter toward the base and occasionally featuring a subtle red spot near the middle or base of the petals. Growing with erect stems up to 90 centimeters tall and displaying minimal to dense hair coverage, it has a slender, elegant form. Its leaves are narrow and elongated, measuring 2 to 7 centimeters long, with linear to narrowly lanceolate blades and petioles less than one centimeter in length. The fruit develops as a slender pod 2.5 to 5 centimeters long, typically wider at its distal end with a delicate beak less than 10 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 0 sympatric species; geographically isolated but subspecies exist with overlaps
Habitat and range
California counties: Sierra, Yolo, Butte, Marin, Shasta, Trinity, Modoc, Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Colusa, Del Norte, Plumas, Nevada, Tehama, Mendocino, Lake, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Napa, Yuba, Sutter, Glenn, Amador
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 gracilis native to California?
Yes. Clarkia gracilis is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Clarkia gracilis grow?
Clarkia gracilis occurs in Sierra, Yolo, Butte, Marin, Shasta, Trinity, Modoc, Alameda and other counties.
What plant family does Clarkia gracilis belong to?
Clarkia gracilis is in the Onagraceae family, genus Clarkia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
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.