''Clarkia purpurea'' is a species of wildflower known by the common names winecup clarkia, winecup fairy fan, and purple clarkia. This annual plant is native to western North America, including:

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

;

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

;

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

;

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

;

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

; and

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, and is found in diverse habitats. In the

California Floristic Province The California Floristic Province (CFP) is a floristic province with a Mediterranean-type climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora similar to other regions with a winter rainfall and summer drought climat ...

it is found in all the zones, except the deserts, from the coasts to high interior mountains, including the

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Description

''Clarkia purpurea'' has a thin reddish stem that may approach 1 meter (3 ft.) in height and has a few lance-shaped leaves. 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.The fruit type is a capsule. The conspicuous flowers bloom from April to August.Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network (NPIN): ''Clarkia purpurea'' (Winecup clarkia)
. accessed 2.2.2013

Subspecies

Subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

include: *''Clarkia purpurea'' ssp. ''purpurea'' *''Clarkia purpurea'' ssp. ''quadrivulnera'' *''Clarkia purpurea'' ssp. ''viminea''Calflora database: ''Clarkia purpurea'' ssp. ''viminea''
/ref>

Uses

The

Indigenous peoples of California Indigenous peoples of California, commonly known as Indigenous Californians or Native Californians, are a diverse group of nations and peoples that are indigenous to the geographic area within the current boundaries of California before and afte ...

sowed the plant, to later harvest the seeds to grind for food. The conspicuous flowers support native

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

s, making it a "

honey plant Honeybees often collect nectar, pollen, or both from the following species of plants, which are called honey plants, for making honey. This is not an exhaustive list of the flowering plant species Honeybees will visit. Acanthace ...

Taxonomy

''Clarkia purpurea'' was first described in 1796 as ''Oenothera purpurea'' in ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine''.Curtis, W. (1796
Curtis's Botanical Magazine 10t. 352.
/ref> In 1918, it was redescribed by

Aven Nelson Aven Nelson (March 24, 1859 – March 31, 1952) was an American botanist who specialized in plants of the Rocky Mountains. He was one of the founding professors of the University of Wyoming, where he taught for 55 years as professor and served as ...

and

James Francis Macbride James Francis Macbride (19 May 1892 16 June 1976) was an American botanist who devoted most of his professional life to the study of the flora of Peru. Early life and education Born on 19 May 1891 in Rock Valley, Iowa, MacBride graduated from th ...

, who put it in the genus ''

Clarkia ''Clarkia'' is a genus within the flowering plant family Onagraceae. Over 40 species are currently classified in ''Clarkia''; almost all are native to western North America, though one species (''Clarkia tenella'') is native to South America. ...

'', as ''Clarkia purpurea''.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Profile: ''Clarkia purpurea''''Clarkia purpurea'' — U.C. Photo gallery
purpurea Flora of Baja California Flora of California Flora of Arizona Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) Flora of British Columbia Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Plants described in 1796 Plants used in Native American cuisine Plants described in 1918 Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Myrtales-stub