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Elegant Clarkia
Clarkia unguiculata
  
About Elegant Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata) 20 Nurseries Carry This Plant Elegant clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata) is an annual wildflower in the Evening-Primrose family (Onagraceae). It is endemic (limited) to California, but is often sold in wildflower seed mixes throughout the country. Elegant clarkia has tall, thin stems, narrow leaves, and four spade-shaped petals in various shades of pink. Butterflies, moths, and bees are attracted to its flowers. It blooms in summer, when many wildflowers are finished for the year.

Another popular name is woodland clarkia, and its natural habitat is indeed open woodlands. It usually is found growing in oak woodlands or mixed evergreen forest, with native grasses and other wildflowers that appreciate part shade. Sow seeds in fall and let the rain do the rest. Allow to self-sow in fall before cutting back dead stocks. Grow this clarkia in the middle or back of a flower bed where its tall, whimsical flowers make a charming backdrop. Or create a mini-meadow under an oak tree with native bunchgrasses, wild onion, white globe lily, and purple chinese houses.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Annual herb

Size
Size
3.3 ft tall
3 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright Columnar

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Fragrance
Fragrance
Slight

Flower Color
Flower Color
Pink, Red

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 
Insects, especially bees

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 confirmed , 3 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Never irrigate once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Adaptable. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Elegant Clarkia occurs as an understory plant with oaks and pines. Other understory plants that occur with it include various native grasses, Mariposa Lilies (Calochortus spp.), Western Houndstongue (Cynoglossum grande), Blue-eyed Grass and Yellow-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium spp.), and other annual wildflowers

Propagation
Propagation?
Because this is an annual, it is best propagated from seed in fall in an area that has already been cleared of weeds. A very light layer of organic mulch will allow seedlings to push through. It will typically reseed itself each year.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6*, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Woodlands

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 8.1" - 72.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.13" - 1.98", Coldest Month: 24.6" - 55.5", Hottest Month: 45.5" - 79.8", Humidity: 0.41" - 27.82", Elevation: 7" - 11310"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Woodland Clarkia


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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