Clarkia purpurea is a species of wildflower known by the common names winecup clarkia, winecup fairyfan, and purple clarkia.
This annual plant is native to western North America, including: Baja California; California; Arizona; Oregon; Washington; and British Columbia. — where it is found in a diverse variety of habitats. In the California Floristic Province it is found in all the zones, except the deserts, from the coasts to high interior mountains, including the Sierra Nevada.[4][5]
Clarkia purpurea erects a thin reddish stem which may approach 1 meter (3 ft.) in height and has a few lance-shaped leaves.[6]
The bowl-shaped flowers have four petals, usually one to two centimeters long. They are in shades of pink, purple, or deep wine red; often with a streak or spot of pink or red in the middle.[6]
Subspecies include:
The Indigenous peoples of California sowed the plant, to later harvest the seeds to grind for food.[6]
The conspicuous flowers support native bees, making it a "honey plant".[6]
Clarkia purpurea was first described in 1796 as Oenothera purpurea in Curtis's Botanical Magazine.[10] In 1918, it was redescribed by Aven Nelson and James Francis Macbride, who allocated it to the genus Clarkia, as Clarkia purpurea.[10]
Clarkia purpurea subsp. quadrivulnera, western Mount Tamalpais, California. Clarkia purpurea subsp. quadrivulnera, Blue Sky Ecological Reserve, Poway, San Diego County, California. Clarkia purpurea is a species of wildflower known by the common names winecup clarkia, winecup fairyfan, and purple clarkia.
This annual plant is native to western North America, including: Baja California; California; Arizona; Oregon; Washington; and British Columbia. — where it is found in a diverse variety of habitats. In the California Floristic Province it is found in all the zones, except the deserts, from the coasts to high interior mountains, including the Sierra Nevada.
