Wild Radish 0265 - a photo on Flickriver

Wild Radish 0265

            Little did I know when I first set eyes on this wildflower that it would take over a decade to identify it. When I took the photo, I thought, "This will be easy. There are fewer flowers, especially blue or violet with four petals." Wrong! There are fewer, but it turns out there are 400,000 flowering species and "only" 230,000 have been described. I found this flower at the based of a trail on Mt. Diablo leading to Castle Rock Park. 

Today, in one final gasp, I spent more than two hours going through my four books on wildflowers of the west (and Sierras and Central California), and came up with ... oh, what's that scientific term... ah, ZILCH! Nada, Nil. My life may be frustrating, but it's rarely dull.

I bit the bullet. I don't like to impose on a good acquaintance (less than a friend, but through an interest in nature, we have corresponded often), John Muir Laws by name. Jack holds the Nature Stewardship through Science, Education, and Art at the SF Academy of Sciences. More important, he's a naturalist, has written several books on wildlife of the Sierras etc., and teaches the art of painting wildlife. And so, as I do about once a year, I emailed him. Having explained that the closest I could come for this flower, was the Clarkia Elegance (see below) which is endemic to my mountain. His response: "I totally understand the confusion. It looks a lot like a Clarkia. Check out the purple version of Wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum)."

And so Flickrites, this is the Wild Radish of the Mustard family!

Taken in: United States / California / Rock City (show map)

Taken on: April 6, 2010

Tags:

Wild Radish

Raphanus

Endemic

northern

California

particularly

Mt.

Diablo

White

common

Clarkia

elegans

Canon

SX10

Vignetting

with

blur

burn « less

Sets appears in: • Explore • Wildflowers and Cultivars more » • Mt. Diablo « less

Groups appears in: • Wildflowers • Art by Nature more » • The Magic of Nature • Nature, wildlife, and the great outdoors • The Beauty of Nature • Wildflowers (amateur only) • American West At Its Best • Wildflowers: Western Region US • Wild Nature • Nature's Art Underfoot • flower power! • Flower Flower Flower • Nature's Patterns « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX10 IS, f/5.7, 1/500 sec, 100mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
Aperture:	f/5.7
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	100mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	-1/3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	ACDSee Pro 6
Show full info

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