About Clarkia williamsonii (Durand & Hilg.) F.H.Lewis & M.E.Lewis
Clarkia williamsonii is an erect annual herb with leaves ranging from linear to lance-shaped, each a few centimeters long. Its inflorescence bears both open, blooming flowers and closed buds; the bud sepals do not fuse at their tips. As the flower opens, all sepals may separate, or they may remain fused in pairs. Each fan-shaped petal can grow up to 3 centimeters long. Petals are most often lavender, with a white area and a purple spot in their center, and occasionally solid deep red. This species has the unique characteristic of commonly having widespread reciprocal translocations. Work by Wedberg et al. shows that populations of this plant growing in California's foothills have translocation heterozygosity frequencies near 50%, while populations at higher elevations in alpine regions have frequencies below 10%.
