Cleomella serrulata
Rocky mountain bee plant, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant
Family: Cleomaceae · Type: annual · Not Native
Rocky mountain bee plant is a naturalized annual herb found in northern Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast, Southern California, San Gabriel Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, and Great Basin at elevations of 305 to 1,700 meters in roadsides and disturbed areas. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces purple to white flowers 7 to 12 millimeters long with distinctive bilateral arrangement. Growing 3 to 8 decimeters tall with openly branched stems, the plant has a relatively open and airy structure. Its leaves consist of three elliptic leaflets 2 to 6 centimeters long, arranged with an open, delicate form. The fruit develops as a linear capsule 30 to 55 millimeters long, nearly round in cross-section, which persists after flowering.
Habitat: Roadsides, disturbed areas
Bloom period: May-Jul
Elevation: 305-1700 m
Bioregions: n SNH, SnJV, CCo, SCo, SnGb, PR, GB (exc W&I)
California counties: Modoc, El Dorado, Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Siskiyou, Kings
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.