Clarkia mosquinii
Encyclopedia
Clarkia mosquinii is a rare species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family
known by the common name Mosquin's clarkia. It is endemic to California
, where it is known only from the northern Sierra Nevada foothills at the border between Butte
and Plumas Counties
. It was thought to be extinct
until it was rediscovered in 1991. It is an erect annual herb often exceeding half a meter in height. The oval or lance-shaped leaves are 2 to 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence
bears opening flowers below a series of clusters of closed, hanging flower buds. The sepal
s all separate as the flower blooms. The diamond-shaped petals are one to two centimeters long light to medium purple in color, and sometimes speckled with reddish purple.
Onagraceae
Onagraceae, also known as the Willowherb family or Evening Primrose family, are a family of flowering plants. The family includes about 640-650 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees in 20-24 genera...
known by the common name Mosquin's clarkia. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is known only from the northern Sierra Nevada foothills at the border between Butte
Butte County, California
Butte County is a county located in the Central Valley of the US state of California, north of the state capital of Sacramento. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 220,000. The county seat is Oroville. Butte County is the "Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty."Butte County is watered by the...
and Plumas Counties
Plumas County, California
Plumas County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. The county gets its name from the Spanish words for the Feather River , which flows through the county. As of the 2010 census, the population 20,007, down from 20,824 at the 2000 census...
. It was thought to be extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
until it was rediscovered in 1991. It is an erect annual herb often exceeding half a meter in height. The oval or lance-shaped leaves are 2 to 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bears opening flowers below a series of clusters of closed, hanging flower buds. The sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s all separate as the flower blooms. The diamond-shaped petals are one to two centimeters long light to medium purple in color, and sometimes speckled with reddish purple.