Winecup clarkia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Winecup clarkia |
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| Clarkia purpurea (artist:M. Hart) | |
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Clarkia
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| Species: |
purpurea
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Clarkia purpurea is a beautiful wildflower often called winecup clarkia, winecup fairyfan, or purple clarkia. It's an annual plant, which means it grows from a seed, flowers, produces new seeds, and then dies all within one year.
This plant naturally grows in western North America. You can find it in places like Baja California, California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. It grows in many different types of places, from coastal areas to high mountains. In California, it's found almost everywhere except the deserts, even in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
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What Does Winecup Clarkia Look Like?
The Winecup Clarkia has a thin, reddish stem that can grow quite tall, sometimes up to 1 meter (about 3 feet) high. It has a few leaves that are shaped like a spear.
The Flowers
The flowers of the Winecup Clarkia are shaped like a bowl. Each flower has four petals, usually about one to two centimeters long. These petals come in pretty shades of pink, purple, or a deep wine red. Often, you'll see a streak or a spot of pink or red right in the middle of each petal.
Different Kinds of Winecup Clarkia
Just like there are different breeds of dogs, there are different types of Winecup Clarkia. These are called subspecies. Here are a few:
- Clarkia purpurea ssp. purpurea
- Clarkia purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera
- Clarkia purpurea ssp. viminea
How People and Animals Use Winecup Clarkia
This plant has been useful to both people and animals for a long time.
Food Source
Long ago, the Indigenous peoples of California would plant Winecup Clarkia. They would later gather the seeds. These seeds were then ground up and used as food.
Helping Bees
The bright, noticeable flowers of Winecup Clarkia are very important for native bees. Bees love to visit these flowers to collect nectar and pollen. Because of this, Winecup Clarkia is known as a "honey plant" – it helps bees make honey and supports their health.
How Winecup Clarkia Got Its Name
The scientific name for this plant, Clarkia purpurea, has an interesting history.
It was first described in 1796. At that time, it was given a different name: Oenothera purpurea. Later, in 1918, two scientists named Aven Nelson and James Francis Macbride studied it again. They decided it belonged in a different group of plants called Clarkia. That's how it got its current name, Clarkia purpurea.
