CLARKIA

Several varieties of Clarkia, an erect, sparsely-leaved plant with showy lavender , pink or purple flowers, are called Farewell to Spring.

But the appearance of the punch bowl-shaped blossoms does not signal the end of spring in Southern California. Clarkia blooms from April through July here. It can be found on dry, grassy mountain slopes below 2,000 feet and in openings in brush and woods.

An annual plant, Clarkia was named in honor of Capt. William Clark of the 1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition into the Northwest. Clarkia deflexa , a common variety in valley areas near Los Angeles, grows up to 3 feet high.

It has narrow lance-shaped leaves 1 to 3 inches long and to 3/4 of an inch wide. Leaves have smooth margins and are sparsely covered with short, downy hairs.

The blooms, which close at night and reopen in the morning, have four united, fan-shaped petals. The buds point down, rising as they open. The blooms measure from 3/4 of an inch to 1 1/2 inches across.

Clarkia is a member of the Evening Primrose family. About 30 species grow in the wilds, mostly in California. Other varieties include Clarkia cylindrica and Clarkia purpurea .

Pictured here are Clarkia deflexa on a Santa Monica Mountains slope near Sepulveda Boulevard and Mulholland Drive.