Clarkia similis

Ramona clarkia

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Ramona clarkia is a California native annual found in southern California coastal ranges and southwestern California in generally shady woodland and chaparral habitats at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to June, this delicate plant produces pale pink flowers with purple flecks, shading lighter near the base, in a distinctive rotate to bowl-shaped configuration with petals 6 to 10 millimeters long. Growing with erect stems up to 90 centimeters tall and covered in fine puberulent hairs, it has a slender and graceful form. Its narrow leaves are lanceolate to elliptic, measuring 2 to 4 centimeters long with petioles less than 8 millimeters, arranged along the stem. The flower buds are notably pendent and recurved at the tip, creating an elegant silhouette in its woodland habitat.

Habitat: Generally shady sites, woodland, chaparral

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: SCoRI (uncommon), SW.

California counties: San Diego, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Fresno, Kern, Ventura, Tehama

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