Floral Illustrations of the Seasons

CLARKIA pulchella.

Reading edition

Pretty Clarkia.

Illustration from Floral Illustrations of the Seasons Consisting of the Most Beautiful, Hardy and Rare Herbaceous Plants, Cultivated in the Flower Garden

Class and Order.—Tetrandria Monogynia.

Syn. Clarkia pulchella. Pursh. Fl. N. A., vol. i. p. 260. Bot. Reg., pl. 1100.

Plant annual—stem erect, branching—leaves linear, lanceolate, sessile, smooth—peduncles short—flowers growing from the axils of the leaves, solitary—calyx one segment, lanceolate, keeled—corolla beautiful purple pink—petals four, trilobed, obtuse, horned at the base—stamens four—anthers involute—style longer than the stamens—stigma divided into four parts—capsule oblong, grooved.

This very beautiful and singular annual was named by Pursh, in honour of Captain Clark, the companion of Captain Lewis, whose interesting travels across the continent of North America are so well known. It was found by Mr. Douglas, in the countries around the Columbia river, and brought by him into this country, to the Horticultural Society. The plant is hardy; but to facilitate its bloom, the seeds should be sown in a hotbed early in the Spring, and when the plants have acquired sufficient strength they may be removed to the borders, where they will continue to flower until destroyed by frost. This is the only species known of this genus.

Pl. 23.

Plate 24. Potentilla Nipalensis. Drawn from Nature by M.R. Engraved by R. Havell Jun^r.