22. Clarkia purpurea (Curtis) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride, Bot. Gaz. 65: 64. 1918.
Purple or winecup clarkia
Oenothera purpurea Curtis, Bot. Mag. 10: plate 352. 1796; Godetia purpurea (Curtis) G. Don
Stems erect or rarely decumbent, to 100 cm, glabrous and sometimes glaucous or sparsely to densely puberulent, sometimes mixed with longer, spreading hairs. Leaves: petiole 0–2 mm; blade linear or narrowly lanceolate to elliptic or ovate, 1.5–7 cm. Inflorescences open or dense racemes, axis straight; buds erect. Flowers: floral tube 2–10 mm; sepals reflexed individually or in pairs; corolla bowl-shaped, petals lavender to purple, purplish red, or dark wine-red, often with red or purple spot near middle, tip, or base, 9–25 mm; stamens 8, subequal; ovary 8-grooved, length less than 8 times width; stigma as long as or exserted beyond anthers. Capsules 10–30 mm, beak 0–2 mm. Seeds brown or gray, 1–2 mm, scaly, crest 0.2 mm.
Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora): w North America, nw Mexico.
Clarkia purpurea consists of a diverse assemblage of hexaploid populations and is almost certainly derived from multiple origins followed by hybridization and, perhaps, backcrossing to parental species. Three morphological forms are recognized as subspecies; intergrades are frequent.
