Lepidium fremontii
Desert allysum
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Lepidium fremontii (Desert allysum) is a native California shrub in the Brassicaceae family, recognized by shrubby perennial habit, glaucous leaves, large fruits.
Desert allysum is a California native perennial found in southeastern Sierra Nevada, San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, southern eastern Sierra Nevada, White and Inyo Mountains, and Deserts in sandy or gravelly soils, washes, and pinyon-juniper woodlands at elevations of 450 to 2,100 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces small white flowers in elongated panicles with spoon-shaped petals 2.5 to 4.2 millimeters long. Growing 2 to 5.5 meters tall with several erect or ascending stems emerging from a woody base, it forms a shrubby habit with multiple branches. Its mid-cauline leaves are pinnately 3 to 7-lobed, with linear lobes 1 to 2.8 millimeters wide, and the plant appears glaucous and glabrous. The fruit is a flat, winged, obovate structure 4.5 to 7 millimeters wide with a small notch at the tip.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 20 sympatric species; key features are shrubby perennial habit, glaucous leaves, large fruits
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sandy or gravelly soils, washes, barren knolls, bluffs, pinyon/juniper woodland, rocky slopes
Elevation: 450-2100 m
California counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, Inyo, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, San Diego, Santa Barbara
Outside California: to southern Utah, western Arizona
Bloom period
Lepidium fremontii blooms Mar-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Capsella: Small round-to-oval pods versus distinctive triangular heart-shaped pods.; vs Cotula: Mustard with seed pods and 4 petals versus composite with disk flowers only.; vs Soliva: Mustard with flattened seed pods versus composite with spiny achenes.; vs Thysanocarpus: Fruits stand upright or spread versus hanging downward in Thysanocarpus.; vs Lobularia: Flattened oval pods with 1-2 seeds versus inflated round pods with 2 seeds.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lepidium fremontii native to California?
Yes. Lepidium fremontii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Lepidium fremontii bloom?
Lepidium fremontii blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Lepidium fremontii grow?
Lepidium fremontii occurs in Riverside, San Bernardino, Inyo, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, San Diego and other counties, at elevations of 450-2100 m.
What plant family does Lepidium fremontii belong to?
Lepidium fremontii is in the Brassicaceae family, genus Lepidium.
What habitat does Lepidium fremontii grow in?
Lepidium fremontii grows in Sandy or gravelly soils, washes, barren knolls, bluffs, pinyon/juniper woodland, rocky slopes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.