Streptanthus glandulosus
Bristly jewelflower
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda · licence
Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Streptanthus glandulosus (Bristly jewelflower) is a native California herb in the Brassicaceae family.
Bristly jewelflower is a California native annual found in rocky or open areas at elevations of 300 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces white to purple, rose, or purple-black flowers 7 to 17 millimeters long with crinkled petals. Growing with stiff-hairy stems 1.5 to 9 meters tall that can be simple or branched, it develops slender, distinctive foliage. Its leaves range from lance-linear to oblanceolate, with basal leaves being coarsely dentate and early-deciduous while mid-stem leaves are sessile and can have lobed or clasping bases. The fruit develops as an ascending to spreading pod 3 to 11 centimeters long, with seeds featuring a narrow continuous wing.
Habitat and range
California counties: Colusa, Lake, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Tehama, Glenn, Sonoma, Mendocino, Shasta, Yolo, Contra Costa, Stanislaus, San Benito
How to tell it apart
vs Caulanthus: Seed pods are flattened like sword blades versus cylindrical tubes in Caulanthus.; vs Boechera: Robust plants often over 2.5 feet with large flowers (sepals 4-8mm) versus more delicate habit.; vs Claytonia: Mustard family with 4 petals and 6 stamens versus Claytonia with 5 petals.; vs Silene: Mustard family with seed pods versus Silene with inflated capsules and opposite leaves.; vs Lonicera: Herbaceous mustard with alternate leaves versus woody vine with opposite leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Is Streptanthus glandulosus native to California?
Yes. Streptanthus glandulosus is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Streptanthus glandulosus grow?
Streptanthus glandulosus occurs in Colusa, Lake, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara and other counties.
What plant family does Streptanthus glandulosus belong to?
Streptanthus glandulosus is in the Brassicaceae family, genus Streptanthus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Streptanthus glandulosus subsp. albidus — Metcalf canyon jewelflower
- Streptanthus glandulosus subsp. arkii — Kruckeberg's bristly jewelflower
- Streptanthus glandulosus subsp. glandulosus — most beautiful jewelflower
- Streptanthus glandulosus subsp. hoffmanii — Hoffman's bristly jewelflower
- Streptanthus glandulosus subsp. josephinensis — Josephine county jewelflower
- Streptanthus glandulosus subsp. niger — Tiburon jewelflower
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.