The photo at left shows a close-up sideview of the flower of small-flowered godetia as seen along Kreps Lane in Conboy NWR, near Glenwood, WA........July 9, 2006. The sepals in this photo are sharply reflexed downwards and the grooved, inferior ovary can be seen.
Small-flowered Godetia is an erect annua wildflower which is, simple to several branched from the base. It ranges from 10 to 70 cm tall. The leaves are mostly on the stems, and are 1 to 5 cm long and 2 to 7 mm wide. The bracts below the flowers are smaller than the lower leaves.
The inflorescence is a loosely-flowered spike. The four petals are pale pinkish-lavendar to a deep rose-purple color, and may or may not have a carmine or purplish central spot. The individual petals are about 5 to 15 mm long and triangular in outline. The sepals are sharply reflexed downward and are typically separate from one another, but they may also be attached to each other. The ovary is conspicuously hairy. The fruit is a capsule from 10-20 mm long and about 2-3 mm wide.
Small-flowered Godetia is found in grassy prairies, from the valleys into the foothills.
Small-flowered Godetia is found from the Olympic Peninsula to Tacoma,WA, south to the Willamette Valley, and hence to the grasslands of California and into Baja California. Its range extends eastward through the Columbia River Gorge and as far east as Klickitat County, WA, and south into Hood River County, OR.
