Streptanthus
Encyclopedia
Streptanthus is a genus
within the mustard
family, Brassicaceae
. There are about 35 known species
within the Streptanthus genus, distributed mostly throughout western North America. The common names for this genus are Jewelflower and Twistflower. Twenty-four of the species and eleven lesser taxa occur in California
, thirty-two of which are California endemics; seventeen of these California taxa are classified as rare plants
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
within the mustard
Mustard plant
Mustards are several plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis whose small mustard seeds are used as a spice and, by grinding and mixing them with water, vinegar or other liquids, are turned into the condiment known as mustard or prepared mustard...
family, Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
. There are about 35 known species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
within the Streptanthus genus, distributed mostly throughout western North America. The common names for this genus are Jewelflower and Twistflower. Twenty-four of the species and eleven lesser taxa occur in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, thirty-two of which are California endemics; seventeen of these California taxa are classified as rare plants
Rare species
A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon or scarce. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and may be distinct from the term "endangered" or "threatened species" but not "extinct"....
.
Species or subspecies
The following are some of the species (or subspecies) of the genus Streptanthus (County locations are not intended to be exhaustive):- Streptanthus albidusStreptanthus albidusStreptanthus albidus is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Metcalf Canyon jewelflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Central Coast Ranges and San Francisco Bay Area...
, Metcalf Canyon Jewelflower- Streptanthus albidus albidus, Metcalf Canyon Jewelflower (Santa Clara County, CaliforniaSanta Clara County, CaliforniaSanta Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
), endangered - Streptanthus albidus peramoenus, Uncommon Jewelflower, Most Beautiful Jewelflower (Santa Clara County, CaliforniaSanta Clara County, CaliforniaSanta Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
)
- Streptanthus albidus albidus, Metcalf Canyon Jewelflower (Santa Clara County, California
- Streptanthus barbatusStreptanthus barbatusStreptanthus barbatus is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Pacific jewelflower. It is endemic to the southern Klamath Mountains of far northern California, where it occurs in open wooded habitat among Jeffrey Pines, generally on serpentine soils...
, Pacific Jewelflower - Streptanthus barbigerStreptanthus barbigerStreptanthus barbiger is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name bearded jewelflower. It is endemic to California, where it is limited to the North Coast Ranges. It grows in woodlands and chaparral habitat, often on serpentine soils. It is an annual herb...
, Bearded Jewelflower - Streptanthus batrachopusStreptanthus batrachopusStreptanthus batrachopus is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Mt. Tamalpais jewelflower. It is endemic to Marin County, California, where it is known only from Mt. Tamalpais and surrounding terrain...
, Mt. Tamalpais Jewelflower - Streptanthus bernardinusStreptanthus bernardinusStreptanthus bernardinus is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Laguna Mountains jewelflower, or Laguna Mountain jewelflower.-Distribution:...
, Laguna Mountain Jewelflower - Streptanthus brachiatusStreptanthus brachiatusStreptanthus brachiatus is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Socrates Mine jewelflower. It is endemic to the Inner North Coast Ranges of California north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It can be found in chaparral and woodland habitat, often on serpentine...
, Socrates Mine Jewelflower - Streptanthus breweriStreptanthus breweriStreptanthus breweri is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Brewer's jewelflower. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the coastal mountain ranges from the Klamath Mountains south to the San Francisco Bay Area. Its habitat includes chaparral...
, Brewer's Jewelflower - Streptanthus callistusStreptanthus callistusStreptanthus callistus is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Mount Hamilton jewelflower. It is endemic to Santa Clara County, California, where it is known from only about five occurrences around Mount Hamilton. It grows in chaparral and woodlands and...
, Mt. Hamilton Jewelflower - Streptanthus campestrisStreptanthus campestrisStreptanthus campestris is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name southern jewelflower. It is native to southern California and northern Baja California, where it is known from fewer than 20 occurrences scattered between San Bernardino County, California, and...
, Southern Jewelflower - Streptanthus carinatus, Lyreleaf Jewelflower
- Streptanthus cordatusStreptanthus cordatusStreptanthus cordatus is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name heartleaf twistflower. It is native to the western United States, where it can be found in many types of sagebrush, woodland, and forest habitat. It is a perennial herb producing a branched or...
, Heartleaf Twistflower - Streptanthus diversifoliusStreptanthus diversifoliusStreptanthus diversifolius is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name variableleaf jewelflower, or varied-leaved jewelflower. It is endemic to California, where it is limited to the Sierra Nevada foothills. It is a resident of woodlands and other foothill...
, Variableleaf Jewelflower - Streptanthus drepanoidesStreptanthus drepanoidesStreptanthus drepanoides is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name sicklefruit jewelflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known from a scattered distribution throughout several mountain ranges in the northern part of the state, including the...
, Sicklefruit Jewelflower - Streptanthus farnsworthianusStreptanthus farnsworthianusStreptanthus farnsworthianus is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Farnsworth's jewelflower. It is endemic to California, where it is limited to the woodlands of the Sierra Nevada foothills. It is an annual herb producing a hairless, waxy, purple...
, Farnsworth's Jewelflower - Streptanthus fenestratusStreptanthus fenestratusStreptanthus fenestratus is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Tehipite Valley jewelflower.-Distribution:...
, Tehipite Valley Jewelflower (Fresno County, CaliforniaFresno County, CaliforniaFresno County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. As of the 2010 census, it is the tenth most populous county in California with a population of 930,450, and the sixth largest in size with an area of . The county...
) - Streptanthus glandulosusStreptanthus glandulosusStreptanthus glandulosus is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name bristly jewelflower. It is native to California and southwestern Oregon, where it grows in many types of habitat, including grassland, chaparral, and woodlands...
, Bristly Jewelflower, Common Jewelflower (Mendocino County to San Luis Obispo County, CaliforniaSan Luis Obispo County, CaliforniaSan Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
) - Streptanthus gracilisStreptanthus gracilisStreptanthus gracilis is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name alpine jewelflower.-Distribution:...
, Alpine Jewelflower - Streptanthus hispidusStreptanthus hispidusStreptanthus hispidus, the Mount Diablo Jewelflower, is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family.-Distribution:It is endemic to Contra Costa County, California, where it is known from fewer than 15 occurrences on and around Mount Diablo. It grows in rocky outcrops in grassland and...
, Mt. Diablo Jewelflower (Contra Costa County, CaliforniaContra Costa County, CaliforniaContra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
) - Streptanthus howelliiStreptanthus howelliiStreptanthus howellii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Howell's jewelflower. It is endemic to the Klamath Mountains of southern Oregon and northern California. It grows in mountain forests on serpentine soils. It is a perennial herb producing...
, Howell's Jewelflower - Streptanthus insignisStreptanthus insignisStreptanthus insignis is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names plumed jewelflower and San Benito jewelflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Inner Central Coast Ranges. It grows in grassland and chaparral habitat,...
, Plumed Jewelflower - Streptanthus longisiliquusStreptanthus longisiliquusStreptanthus longisiliquus is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name longfruit jewelflower. It was first described to science in 2007. It is endemic to northern California, where it is known from Butte, Tehama, and Shasta Counties. It can be found in forest and...
, Longfruit Jewelflower - Streptanthus morrisoniiStreptanthus morrisoniiStreptanthus morrisonii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Morrison's jewelflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the North and Central Coast Ranges. It is limited to serpentine soils in chaparral and forest habitat. It is...
, Morrison's Jewelflower - Streptanthus nigerStreptanthus nigerStreptanthus niger is an endangered species within the family Brassicaceae. Like other genus members, this herb has wavy petal margins with perimeter calluses that discourage larval herbivory. This plant is endemic to the Tiburon Peninsula of Northern California, and occurs at elevations below 150...
, Tiburon Jewelflower (Marin County, CaliforniaMarin County, CaliforniaMarin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
), endangered - Streptanthus oliganthusStreptanthus oliganthusStreptanthus oliganthus is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Masonic Mountain jewelflower. It is native to western Nevada and eastern California, where it grows in the rocky hills east of the central Sierra Nevada. Its habitat includes forest,...
, Masonic Mountain Jewelflower - Streptanthus polygaloidesStreptanthus polygaloidesStreptanthus polygaloides is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name milkwort jewelflower. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, where it grows in woodlands and chaparral, generally on serpentine soils.-Description:Streptanthus polygaloides...
, Milkwort Jewelflower - Streptanthus tortuosusStreptanthus tortuosusStreptanthus tortuosus is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names shieldleaf and shieldplant. It is native to the mountains of northern and central California, its distribution extending just into Oregon and Nevada. It grows in rocky and sandy areas in forests...
, Mountain Jewelflower, Shieldplant - Streptanthus vernalisStreptanthus vernalisStreptanthus vernalis is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name early jewelflower. It was first observed in the 1970s but not actually described to science until 2005. It is endemic to Lake County, California, where it is known from a single occurrence at...
, Early Jewelflower