Streptanthus tortuosus var. foliosus

Wawona jewelflower

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Wawona jewelflower is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in lower montane conifer forest and montane chaparral on granitic soil at elevations of 1,220 to 2,050 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces flowers in delicate clusters with stems branching distally and reaching 4 to 8.4 decimeters tall. Growing with a woody caudex and simple or multiple stems, it develops broadly spoon-shaped to lance-ovate mid-cauline leaves 2.3 to 3.3 centimeters long. Its leaves show variation from basal rosettes to proximal cauline forms, with sizes ranging from 1.2 to 6.7 centimeters. The plant produces distinctive fruits that are spreading and straight to slightly arched, measuring 8 to 13.5 centimeters long with pedicels 1.9 to 4.7 millimeters wide.

Habitat: Lower montane conifer forest, montane chaparral, on granitic soil or outcrops

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 1220-2050 m

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