Streptanthus campestris

Southern jewelflower

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Southern jewelflower is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native perennial found in the Transverse Ranges and Peninsular Ranges in open, rocky conifer forest, chaparral, and woodland at elevations of 900 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces light purple flowers with pale yellow bases, approximately 9 to 12 millimeters long. Growing 6 to 15 meters tall with simple or few-branched glaucous stems, it has a distinctive glabrous appearance. Its basal leaves form a rosette of oblanceolate to obovate shapes, while mid-stem leaves are sessile, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 3.5 to 11 centimeters long with entire to wavy margins. The dark purple calyx sepals are 7 to 10 millimeters long, with hairy tips that add to the plant's distinctive character.

Habitat: Open, rocky conifer forest, chaparral, woodland

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 900-2300 m

Bioregions: TR, PR

California counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Lake, Butte, Kern, Inyo

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