Clarkia, a is wildflower which brings in the beginning of spring and also is an adorable beauty in it’s own.

A plant of red and pink clarika
A plant of red and pink clarika
  • Earlier known as Godetia, the satin flower is a very beautiful wildflower with pink,red and lavender shades.
  • Clarkia symbolises enthusiasm and charm.
  • They are known as “farewell to spring”as their blooming embarks the spring season.
  • It has its roots in the western North America also in coastal hills and mountains from British Columbia south to the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • The genus was named after the famous explorer Captain William Clark (1770-1838).

Scientific classification

Kingdom

Plantae

Clade

Tracheophytes

Clade

Animalia

Clade

Eudicots

Clade

Rosits

Order

Myrtales

Family

Onagraceae

Subfamily

Onagroideae

Tribe

Onagreae

Genus

Clarkia

Pursh

Description:- pattern and size

  • Clarkia amoena, also called as satin flower, is native from British Columbia to central California.
  • It is an annual plant that has 4 broad petals and linear leaves in it.
  • Farewell to spring has petals whose size grows from 1.5-6 cm long and has leaves that stretch as 2-7cm long and 2-6 mm broad.
  • The overall height of the plant is 1m tall. Along with this the fruit of the plant is in the form of a capsule and it releases various seeds when it gets matured.
  • Along with its immense shades of colour, it also plays an important role in the eco cycle as they provide habitat for pollinators.
  • Some of the pollinators even rely on Clarkia solely just like the “Clarkia bee”.
beautiful white clarika
beautiful white clarika

How can you grow Clarkia:-

  • It’s growth is said to be the best in a cool atmosphere. It is said that in zone 9&10 we can sow it outdoors in the fall for the earliest bloom in the spring.
  • It requires light,sandy loam and sunlight in full or partial shade.
  • The propagation of clarika must be done by seeds because they do not transplant well, sow seeds  directly into the soil outdoors and  it barely needs any cover; they just need light to germinate.

Uses of clarika: 

Plant in beds and borders, grow in rock gardens, and naturalise in open meadows. Tall varieties make good cut flowers.

Bouquet of red clarika
Bouquet of red clarika

Various species of clarika

  • Many of the flowers usually referred to as clarkias are hybrids of C. unguiculata and C. pulchella (Clarkia elegans).
  •  Each species has a variety of garden forms, including double-flowered varieties. 
  • Generally, the flowers of clarkias grow along the stem, facing outward, and are about 1 inch in diameter. 
  • Colours include white, pink, salmon, and purple.
  • F1 hybrid Grace is available in red, shell pink, rose-pink, and a mixture of colours. Unwins Taffeta provides a mix of colours.

-By Shrinidhi Shandilya

Content Writer (Erakina By RTMN)

13/12/2021

Tags: beautiful, clarkia, flowers

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *