Streptanthus glandulosus subsp. albidus

Metcalf canyon jewelflower, Metcalf Canyon Jewelflower

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Metcalf canyon jewelflower is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in southeastern San Francisco Bay Area in Santa Clara County on serpentine, grassy, and barren slopes at elevations of 100 to 800 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces white flowers with light brown or purplish veins, 11 to 17 millimeters long, creating delicate blooms against pale backgrounds. Growing 30 to 120 centimeters tall with stems that are sparsely hairy near the base and smooth towards the top, it develops an upright, elegant structure. Its cauline leaves are glabrous, with distal leaves remaining entire, creating a clean, simple foliage profile. The fruit develops as a straight, spreading to ascending structure, complementing the plant's slender and precise botanical architecture.

Habitat: Serpentine, grassy, barren slopes

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 100-800 m

Bioregions: se SnFrB (Santa Clara Co.).

California counties: Contra Costa, Santa Clara

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