Clarkia prostrata

Prostrate clarkia

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS PPD

Prostrate clarkia is a California native annual found in southern Central Coast bioregion coastal bluffs in grassland and closed-cone pine forest at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces lavender-pink to pale yellow flowers with distinctive red spots, 10 to 15 millimeters long in bowl-shaped corollas. Growing with prostrate to decumbent stems less than 5 decimeters long and sparsely puberulent, it spreads low across the ground. Its leaves are nearly sessile, 1 to 2.5 centimeters long, with elliptic to oblanceolate blades and generally obtuse tips. The plant's delicate flowers and low-spreading growth make it a subtle but charming addition to coastal grassland environments.

Habitat: Coastal bluffs in grassland, closed-cone-pine forest

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: s CCo.

California counties: San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Nevada

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