Farewell-to-Spring

Farewell-to-Spring
Clarkia amoena
(Photo by Robert Payne)

These pretty red flowers really do mean that spring is over. You will find them from late April until about July, long after the rains. Several different flowers go by this name, all Clarkias, in the Evening Primrose family. Mostly, we mean Clarkia amoena, which has a red blotch in the center of each petal. These grow all over the dry hills, especially up by the substation. If it has four petals and is red-pink, its probably a Clarkia. Check for the ovary, or seed-pod, underneath the flower (inferior ovary).

Clarkia rubicunda (Ruby Chalice), Clarkia davyi (Davy), and Clarkia purpurea (Winecup), are a few of the other possibilities under this name. We also get Elegant clarkia , which has really funky-shaped petals. There was a wonderful stand out by Almaden reservoir in 1995.

Why Clarkia? After Clark of Lewis and Clark. Don't feel sorry for Lewis, he got the Lewisias (coincidence?), which are also beautiful--check out Bitterroot. There are 31 species of Clarkia, all annuals. The cup-shaped ones, like all the "Farewell-to-Springs" used to be Godetias, before they were added to the genus Clarkia. The Clarkias have been used in gardens since 1840, when seeds were sent back to England for cultivation. Most garden forms were derived from Elegant Clarkia, Clarkia amoena, and Ruby Chalice Clarkia--ones you can see growing will around here! Nurseries around here often carry something they call "Godetia", which will usually be a Clarkia. There is also "Mexican Evening Primrose", which is Clarkia-like, but genus Oenothera. You can get seeds for Elegant Clarkia quite easily.

Elegant Clarkia
Clarkia unguiculata
(Photo by Robert Payne)