Clarkia mosquinii

Mosquin's clarkia

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Mosquin's clarkia is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in northern Sierra Nevada foothills in northeastern Butte County, occurring in dry, rocky places within foothill woodland at elevations of 180 to 1,200 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces lavender-purple flowers with red-purple spots, approximately 10 to 20 millimeters long in a distinctive rotate shape with diamond-shaped blades. Growing with erect stems less than one meter tall and covered in fine hairs, it develops delicate lance-linear to ovate leaves on petioles 1 to 3 centimeters long. Its leaves range from 2 to 5 centimeters in length, with a variable shape from lance-linear to ovate or elliptic. The plant's unique blue-gray pollen and eight stamens subtended by ciliate scales contribute to its distinctive botanical characteristics.

Habitat: Dry, rocky places, probably foothill woodland

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 180-1200 m

Bioregions: n SNF (ne Butte Co.).

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.