Clarkia heterandra
California gaura
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Family: Onagraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Clarkia heterandra (California gaura) is a native California herb in the Onagraceae family, recognized by indehiscent nut-like fruit and sterile inner anthers highly distinctive.
California gaura is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, southern Coast Ranges, and Transverse Ranges in shady woodland and yellow-pine forest sites at elevations of 500 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces pink flowers with elliptic petals 5 to 6 millimeters long in a distinctive rotate pattern. Growing with erect stems less than 60 centimeters tall that are glandular-puberulent, it has a delicate and slender appearance. Its leaves are lanceolate to ovate, with petioles 5 to 20 millimeters long and blades 2 to 8 centimeters in length. The fruit is a small, nut-like structure 2 to 3 millimeters long containing one to two seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 49 sympatric species; indehiscent nut-like fruit and sterile inner anthers highly distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Shady sites, woodland, yellow-pine forest
Elevation: 500-1700 m
California counties: Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Tulare, Mariposa, El Dorado, Trinity, San Bernardino, Placer, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Tuolumne, Siskiyou, Madera, Contra Costa, Amador, Riverside, Calaveras, Tehama, San Luis Obispo
Bloom period
Clarkia heterandra blooms May-Jul.
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 heterandra native to California?
Yes. Clarkia heterandra is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Clarkia heterandra bloom?
Clarkia heterandra blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Clarkia heterandra grow?
Clarkia heterandra occurs in Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Tulare, Mariposa, El Dorado, Trinity, San Bernardino and other counties, at elevations of 500-1700 m.
What plant family does Clarkia heterandra belong to?
Clarkia heterandra is in the Onagraceae family, genus Clarkia.
What habitat does Clarkia heterandra grow in?
Clarkia heterandra grows in Shady sites, woodland, yellow-pine forest.
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.