Caulanthus amplexicaulis

Clasping leaved caulanthus

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Clasping leaved caulanthus is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in southern Santa Lucia Mountains, Transverse Ranges in chaparral and open, sandy or rocky areas at elevations of 800 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces purple and straw-colored flowers with wavy-edged petals 10 to 18 millimeters long, with the distal petals slightly longer and reflexed. Growing 0.4 to 1.1 meters tall with an erect, glaucous stem, it develops in glabrous form with distinctive growth characteristics. Its leaves form a basal rosette 1.5 to 10 centimeters long, obovate to oblanceolate with dentate margins, and cauline leaves that are sessile with lobed or clasping bases. The plant produces ascending to spreading fruits 4.5 to 14 centimeters long, containing 40 to 92 oblong seeds 1.4 to 2.2 millimeters in size.

Habitat: Chaparral, open, sandy or rocky areas, serpentine, granitic and shale scree

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: 800-2900 m

Bioregions: s SCoRO, TR.

California counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Tulare, Plumas, Santa Barbara, Riverside, Ventura, San Diego, Inyo, Mono, Kern, Mariposa

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