Clarkia purpurea



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, and is found in diverse 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.

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.

Subspecies
Subspecies include:
 * Clarkia purpurea ssp. purpurea
 * Clarkia purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera
 * Clarkia purpurea ssp. viminea

Uses
The Indigenous peoples of California sowed the plant, to later harvest the seeds to grind for food.

The conspicuous flowers support native bees, making it a "honey plant".

Taxonomy
Clarkia purpurea was first described in 1796 as Oenothera purpurea in Curtis's Botanical Magazine. In 1918, it was redescribed by Aven Nelson and James Francis Macbride, who put it in the genus Clarkia, as Clarkia purpurea.