E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Clarkia pulchella Pursh
pink fairies (pinkfairies)
Onagraceae (Evening Primrose family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Clarkia pulchella
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Annual herb from a short taproot; stems 10-50 cm tall, simple to freely branched, short stiff-hairy.

Leaves:
Alternate, linear lance- to spoon-shaped, 2-7 cm long, 2-10 mm wide, entire to finely toothed.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a few-flowered, short raceme, buds nodding; hypanthium 1-3 mm long, glabrous inside; corollas slightly irregular; petals lavender to rose-purple, 3-lobed, middle lobe the widest, narrowed to a slender claw, short tooth on each side near the base; sepals usually joined and turned to one side; fertile stamens 4, the anthers coiling after shedding pollen, the others reduced and without functional pollen; stigmas oval-oblong, 1-3 mm long, white.

Fruits:
Capsules, straight or curved, about 2 cm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Purple

Blooming Period:
Mid Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer

Source: The USDA

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes

1. Petals not narrowing to a claw at the base; flowers regular, closing at night.

2. Sepals usually joined and turned to one side; ovaries and immature fruits 4-grooved; stigmas 1-6 mm long........................C. amoena
2. Sepals staying fused in 2's or coming free, not turned to one side; ovaries and immature fruits 8-grooved, stigmas about 1.5 mm long...................C. purpurea

1. Petals with a distinct, narrow claw at the base; flowers slightly irregular, not closing at night.

3. Petals 3-lobed; fertile stamens 4; leaves often alternate........................C. pulchella
3. Petals not 3-lobed; fertile stamens 8; leaves opposite........................C. rhomboidea

Habitat / Range

Dry, open areas in the steppe and montane zones; infrequent in S BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; S to OR, ID and MT.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Clarkia pulchella

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	547	818	1177
Slope Gradient (%)	0	48	80
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	40	188	260
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	0	1	3
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	C
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	29
Modal BEC Zone Class	ICH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	ICH(11), IDF(10), PP(8)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S4	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

UBC Herbarium Scanned Collection Record
Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-01-13 6:43:12 AM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.