Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Clarkia purpurea is a species of wildflower in the Onagraceae (Evening Primrose) family known by the common names Winecup Clarkia, Winecup Fairyfan, and Purple Clarkia. This plant is native to western North America where it is found in a variety of habitats. Within California it is very widespread, occurring all along the coast, in the Coast Ranges, Central Valley and Sierra foothills. There are three subspecies with differences in the flower color and with overlapping ranges. This plant erects a thin reddish stem which may approach a meter in height and has a few lance-shaped leaves. The bowl-shaped flowers have four petals usually one to two centimeters long and in shades of pink, purple, or deep wine red, often with a streak or spot of pink or red in the middle. In the garden it is almost always grown from seed and is included in many commercially available wildflower seed mixes.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

3 ft Tall
1 ft Wide

Calscape icon
Color

Lavender, Pink, Purple, Red

Flowering season

Spring, Summer

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Low

Summer irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Adaptable.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Propagation

From seed

Site type

Open, grassy or shrubby places

Plant communities

Chaparral, Coastal Strand, Foothill Woodland, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Northern Coastal Scrub, Valley Grassland, Yellow Pine Forest

Use with other annuals or perennial herbs such as California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Lupine (Lupinus spp.), and Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa).

Bats
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 5 likely

Confirmed Likely

Aetole extraneella

Mariposa Forester

Alypia mariposa

Clark's Day Sphinx Moth

Proserpinus clarkiae