Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Clarkia rubicunda is a flowering plant endemic to California. It is found mostly in the central part of the state. The plant is known by the common names ruby chalice clarkia and farewell to spring. It is similar in appearance to another flower of genus Clarkia also called farewell to spring. It bears attractive poppy-like blooms with wide, cup-shaped corollas of four pink or purplish petals. The corolla of the flower sometimes has a bright red center. As the common name suggests, it blooms in June and July.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

2 ft Tall
2 ft Wide

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Fast

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Calscape icon
Color

Pink, Red, Purple

Flowering season

Spring, Summer

Special uses

Containers, Deer resistant

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Easy

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Adaptable.

Propagation

Collect seeds by allowing pods to dry on plant.

Sunset Zones

7, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Site type

Openings, woodland, forest, chaparral near coast

Plant communities

Mixed Evergreen Forest, Northern Coastal Scrub

Consider other sun-loving plants of Central California, such as small succulents (Dudleya spp.) or Purple Needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) and plant with other vibrant wildflowers such as Purple Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla) to create a colorful garden.

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