Clarkia amoena

Clarkia amoena
Scientific 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

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.

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.

Three subspecies are currently recognised, though intermediate forms are commonly found:

Clarkia amoena subsp. amoena
Clarkia amoena subsp. huntiana
Clarkia amoena subsp. whitneyi (Whitney's farewell to spring)

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

Cultivation

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

Satin flower is 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.^[1] 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.