Sibara filifolia

Santa cruz island rockcress, Santa Cruz Island Rockcress

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Santa cruz island rockcress is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found on the Channel Islands including Santa Catalina, San Clemente, and Santa Cruz islands in dry ridges at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering in April, this plant produces delicate purple to lavender flowers in small, spoon-shaped petals. Growing with slender stems 15 to 30 centimeters tall, it develops simple or few-branched stems that rise from the base. Its cauline leaves are pinnately divided with 5 to 15 millimeter linear lobes, each extremely narrow at 0.2 to 0.8 millimeters wide. The tiny fruits bear a short style and are supported by slender pedicels that spread slightly upward.

Habitat: dry ridges

Bloom period: Apr

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: ChI (Santa Catalina, San Clemente, Santa Cruz islands).

California counties: Los Angeles, Santa Barbara

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