Thysanocarpus radians

Fringe pod

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: annual · Native

Fringe pod is a California native annual found in northwestern California, the northern Sierra Nevada foothills, Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, and southern coastal regions in moist slopes, pastures, and open meadows at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces small yellow flowers on open inflorescences with yellow anthers. Growing 15 to 60 centimeters tall with glabrous stems and occasional sparse rough hairs near the base, it has a delicate, upright structure. Its basal leaves are oblanceolate with wavy or lobed edges, measuring 1.5 to 4 centimeters long, while stem leaves are lance-shaped and clasp the stem with lobed bases. The distinctive round fruit measures 7 to 10 millimeters wide with a flat or slightly incurved wing, creating an intricate, delicate silhouette.

Habitat: Moist slopes, pastures, open meadows, fields

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: < 800 m

Bioregions: NW, CaRF, SNF, GV, SnFrB, SCoRI

California counties: Sacramento, Solano, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Napa, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Placer, Butte, Nevada, Yuba, Sutter, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Lake, El Dorado, Mariposa, San Benito, Amador, Stanislaus, Fresno, Shasta, Merced, Contra Costa, Tehama, Mendocino, Alameda, Trinity, San Diego, Colusa, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara

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