The colors below indicate the kind of documentation available for this species
in the California counties where it occurs.
Farewell-to-Spring Clarkia rubicunda (Onagraceae)
The genus Clarkia was named for Captain William Clark (1770-1838) of the Lewis and Clark Expedition which was sent by Thomas Jefferson to find the Northwest Passage. Among the extensive botanical collections made on this expedition were species of Clarkia. Farewell-to-Spring is probably the showiest and most common species of Clarkia to be found in the rolling coastal slopes of the San Francisco Bay Area during late spring and early summer. Its large bowl-shaped flowers are readily recognized in profile view because of the erect or ascending rosy-pink to lavender petals that are bright red or purplish at the base.
DISTRIBUTION: Grassy slopes and openings in woodland, forest, and chaparral along the Central Coast and San Francisco Bay Area; < 500 m.
