Arabis modesta

Modest rockcress, modest rockcress, modest rockcress

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Modest rockcress is a California native perennial herb ranked 4.3 by CNPS, found in the Klamath Ranges and southeastern North Coast Ranges in deep soil on steep slopes, cliffs, and shaded canyon ledges at elevations of 150 to 500 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces distinctive purple flowers that are spoon-shaped and 12 to 16 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems 22 to 55 centimeters tall, it develops a simple or few-branched caudex covered in distinctive 3- or 4-rayed hairs. Its basal leaves are obovate to oblanceolate, measuring 2 to 8 centimeters long with entire to wavy margins, while cauline leaves are oblong and shallowly dentate. The plant produces slender fruits 3.5 to 6 centimeters long that are ascending to spreading, containing 20 to 34 small oblong seeds.

Habitat: Deep soil on steep slopes, cliffs, shaded canyon ledges

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 150-500 m

Bioregions: KR, se NCoRI

California counties: Siskiyou, Napa, Solano

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.