Clarkia amoena (farewell to spring, godetia, or satin flower; syn. Godetia amoena) is a flowering plant native to western North America, found in coastal hills and mountains from British Columbia south to the San Francisco Bay Area of California.

Clarkia amoena

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Onagraceae
Genus: Clarkia
Species:
C. amoena
Binomial name
Clarkia amoena
(Lehm.) A.Nels. & J.F.Macbr

Description

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It is an annual plant growing to 1 m tall, with slender, linear leaves 2–7 cm long and 2–6 mm broad. The flowers are pink to pale purple, with four broad petals 1.5–6 cm long. The fruit is a dry capsule, which splits open when mature to release the numerous seeds.

Taxonomy

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Five subspecies are currently recognised, although intermediate forms are commonly found[1]:

  • Clarkia amoena subsp. amoena (Lehm.) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbr. (farewell to spring)[2]
  • Clarkia amoena subsp. caurina (Abrams) C.L. Hitchc. (northwestern farewell to spring)[3]
  • Clarkia amoena subsp. huntiana (Jeps.) F.H. Lewis & M.E. Lewis – (Hunt's clarkia)[4]
  • Clarkia amoena subsp. lindleyi (Dougl.) C.L. Hitchc. (Lindley's clarkia)[5]
  • Clarkia amoena subsp. whitneyi (A. Gray) H. Lewis & M. Lewis. (Whitney's farewell to spring)[6]

Cultivation

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High quality cut stem bunches of 'Grace Salmon' and 'Grace Rose Pink' grown in a winter and spring greenhouse.

Farewell to spring is commonly cultivated as a garden plant, and cultivated varieties are known.

It a cool season plant and will tolerate temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) in gardens or greenhouses. It is a facultative long day plant, i.e., it flowers faster under long day conditions but long days are not necessary for flowering.[7] The plants grow best with minimal fertilizer rates compared to most other cut flower and flowering potted plant species. Sakata Seed Co. developed cut flower (tall; 'Grace') and flowering potted plant (short; 'Satin') cultivars introduced in the 1980s that offer great performance and uniformity.

A gallery of satin flower cultivars is presented below.

References

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  1. ^ Young-Mathews, A. 2012. Plant fact sheet for farewell to spring (Clarkia amoena). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Corvallis Plant Materials Center, Corvallis, OR.
  2. ^ "Clarkia amoena ssp. amoena Calflora". www.calflora.org. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  3. ^ "OregonFlora | Clarkia amoena ssp. caurina". oregonflora.org. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  4. ^ "OregonFlora | Clarkia amoena ssp. huntiana". oregonflora.org. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  5. ^ "E-Flora BC Atlas Page | Clarkia amoena subsp. lindleyi". linnet.geog.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  6. ^ "Clarkia amoena ssp. whitneyi Calflora". www.calflora.org. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  7. ^ Utami, L., Anderson, R. G., Geneve, R. L., & Kester, S. (1990). Effect of supplemental and photoperiodic lighting on flowering of satin flower. HortScience, 25(9), 1090c-1090.
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