Diamond Clarkia (Clarkia rhomboidea)

Say hello to my favorite Clarkia species, the Diamond Clarkia! This plant has escaped me for years, but I finally came across it this past weekend at Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton. This species is a member of the Onograceae family, aka the evening primrose family. This species is closely related with C. mildrediae and C. virgata whom may be the parent species and also hybridizes easily with. This Clarkia sp. has a broad distribution throughout western north America and grows in semi-wooded and forested pine and oak habitat, commonly in disturbed areas. In Oregon and N. California they grow from the Cascades to the coast, and in Washington they grow east of the Cascades. This species can be identified by its eight exerted stamens bearing a large anther with blue-gray pollen. They don’t grow very tall or have showy leaves, but they make up for it with their showy inflorescence. What makes this plant especially unique is its four, diamond shaped, lavender petals that have speckled pink spots. Ecologically, this species is the host plant for the giant humminbirdlike, bedstraw hawkmoth which you should look up if you’ve never seen on before. Great plant, so happy to experience it in habitat after all these years.