Streptanthus drepanoides
Encyclopedia
Streptanthus 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 Klamath Mountains
. It is a resident of chaparral
and woodlands, generally on serpentine soil
s. It is an annual herb producing a mostly hairless, waxy stem up to 40 or 45 centimeters tall. The ephemeral basal leaves have round or oval blades, sometimes edged with teeth. Leaves higher on the stem have fleshy oval blades that clasp the stem, the lower ones each measuring up to 9 centimeters long by 7.5 wide. Flowers occur at intervals along the upper stem. Each has an urn-shaped calyx of greenish or yellowish sepal
s under a centimeter long with whitish or purplish, purple-veined petals emerging from the tip. The fruit is a straight or sickle
-shaped curving silique
up to 9 centimeters long.
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....
known by the common name sicklefruit jewelflower. It is endemic to 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...
, where it is known from a scattered distribution throughout several mountain ranges in the northern part of the state, including the Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
. It is a resident of chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
and woodlands, generally on serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s. It is an annual herb producing a mostly hairless, waxy stem up to 40 or 45 centimeters tall. The ephemeral basal leaves have round or oval blades, sometimes edged with teeth. Leaves higher on the stem have fleshy oval blades that clasp the stem, the lower ones each measuring up to 9 centimeters long by 7.5 wide. Flowers occur at intervals along the upper stem. Each has an urn-shaped calyx of greenish or yellowish sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s under a centimeter long with whitish or purplish, purple-veined petals emerging from the tip. The fruit is a straight or sickle
Sickle
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock . Sickles have also been used as weapons, either in their original form or in various derivations.The diversity of sickles that...
-shaped curving silique
Silique
A silique or siliqua is a fruit of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. The outer walls of the ovary usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition...
up to 9 centimeters long.
External links
Further reading
- Kruckeberg, A. R. and J. L. Morrison. (1983). New Streptanthus taxa (Cruciferae) from California. Madroño 30 230-244.