Streptanthus polygaloides subsp. polygaloides

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: annual · Native

Streptanthus polygaloides is a California native annual found in serpentine landscapes of foothill pine and blue oak woodland at elevations of 250 to 760 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces delicate yellow flowers with distinctive petal characteristics, including claws with prominent yellow veins that widen toward the flower tips. Growing as a slender annual herb, it emerges from gravelly serpentine slopes and roadcuts with a delicate, upright structure. Its leaves and stems are adapted to the challenging serpentine environment, reflecting the plant's specialized habitat. The flower's unique yellow sepals and intricately shaped petal claws make this rare plant a distinctive component of California's serpentine chaparral ecosystems.

Habitat: Gravelly serpentine slopes and roadcuts, in serpentine chaparral, foothill pine/blue oak woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 250-760 m

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