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©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
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BRASSICACEAE

MUSTARD FAMILY

Reed C. Rollins, except as specified

Annual to subshrub
Leaves generally basal and cauline, alternate, generally simple; stipules 0
Inflorescence: generally raceme
Flower bisexual; sepals 4, free; petals (0)4, free, generally white or yellow, often clawed; stamens generally (2,4)6, generally 4 long, 2 short; ovary 1, superior, chambers generally 2, septum membranous, connecting 2 parietal placentas, style 1, stigma simple or 2-lobed
Fruit: generally capsule ("silique") with 2 deciduous valves, sometimes breaking transversely or indehiscent
Seeds 1–many per chamber
Genera in family: 300+ genera, 3000+ species: worldwide, especially cool regions; some cultivated for food (especially Brassica, Raphanus ) and ornamental
Recent taxonomic note: Recently treated to include Capparaceae [Rodman et al. 1993 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 80:686–699; Rollins 1993 Cruciferae of Continental North America. Stanford Univ Press]
Family description, key to genera by Robert A. Price.

STREPTANTHUS

JEWELFLOWER

Roy E. Buck, Dean W. Taylor, and Arthur R. Kruckeberg

Annual to perennial herb, glabrous to bristly, generally ± glaucous
Leaves ± entire to pinnately compound; basal generally rosetted, generally ± petioled; cauline linear to (ob)ovate, often clasping
Inflorescence generally ± open; bracts generally 0
Flower biradial or bilateral; calyx generally ± urn-shaped, sepals erect, generally not green, bases ± pouch-like, generally keeled; petals generally exserted, blade generally narrower than claw, ± channeled, margins ± wavy, generally ± scarious; stamens generally in 3 free pairs; style 0 or short, stigma generally ± entire, blunt
Fruit long, generally strongly compressed parallel to septum
Seeds generally compressed, generally ± winged
Species in genus: ± 40 species: sw US, n Mex
Etymology: (Greek: twisted flower, from wavy-margined petals)
Reference: [Dolan & LaPré 1989 Madroño 36:33–40; Kruckeberg & Morrison 1983 Madroño 30:230–244]
Caulanthus sometimes including here. Calluses on leaf margins of some mimic pierid butterfly eggs, reducing larval herbivory. Variable, complex; needs study.

Native

S. oliganthus Rollins

MASONIC MOUNTAIN JEWELFLOWER

Perennial 2–5 dm, rhizomed, generally simple, glabrous, glaucous
Leaves 2–8 cm; basal (ob)lanceolate, entire, finely ciliate, petiole > blade; cauline lanceolate to oblong
Flower: calyx biradial, sepals 7–10 mm, yellow in bud, purple in flower; petals 10–13 mm, tips purple, margins curled; upper stamens free; stigma flat
Fruit spreading to ascending, 5–8 cm, 2.5–3.5 mm wide, straight or slightly curved, wide, flat
Chromosomes: 2n=28
Ecology: Rocky sites or talus
Elevation: 2100–2800 m.
Bioregional distribution: n&c East of Sierra Nevada (Sweetwater, Masonic mtns), n White and Inyo Mountains (n White Mtns)
Distribution outside California: west-central Nevada
Flowering time: Jun–Jul
Synonyms: S. cordatus var. exiguus Jeps

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bioregional map for STREPTANTHUS%20oliganthus being generated
 


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