Lepidium jaredii

Jared's peppergrass

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Jared's peppergrass is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in southwestern San Joaquin Valley and southeastern South Coast Ranges in alkali bottoms, slopes, and dry hillsides at elevations of 500 to 700 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces lemon yellow to white flowers in delicate clusters, with petals 2.8 to 4 millimeters long. Growing 1 to 6 decimeters tall with erect to ascending stems that branch toward the top, it emerges as one to several plants from its base. Its mid-stem leaves are slender, 2 to 7.5 centimeters long and 0.2 to 1 centimeter wide, tapering to a point and occasionally bearing a few teeth near the tip. The fruit is widely ovate, 3 to 3.8 millimeters long, with smooth valves and a nearly imperceptible notch at the tip.

Habitat: Alkali bottoms, slopes, washes, dry hillsides, vertic clay, acidic, gypsiferous

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: 500-700 m

Bioregions: sw SnJV, se SCoRI.

California counties: San Luis Obispo, Humboldt, Fresno, San Benito

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