Streptanthus vimineus

Slender jewelflower

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS PPD

Slender jewelflower is a California native annual found in northern Coast Ranges interior (Colusa, Lake, and Napa counties) in serpentine grasslands, ridges, and chaparral openings at elevations of 250 to 800 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white flowers with purple veins, 8 to 12 millimeters long, with unequal petals arranged in generally one-sided clusters. Growing 1 to 7.5 decimeters tall with erect, branched stems that are mostly glabrous, it develops distinctive linear to narrowly lance-linear leaves that become progressively smaller up the stem. Its leaves range from basal narrowly ovate shapes to mid-stem sessile leaves 2 to 12 centimeters long, with entire margins and occasionally lobed bases. The plant produces spreading fruit 3.5 to 6.5 centimeters long, with narrow pods recurved and slightly constricted between seeds.

Habitat: Serpentine grassland, ridges, barrens, openings in chaparral

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 250-800 m

Bioregions: NCoRI (Colusa, Lake, Napa cos.).

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