Caulanthus californicus

(S. Watson) Payson

Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 9: 299. 1923.

IllustratedEndemic
Basionym: Stanfordia californica S. Watson in W. H. Brewer et al., Bot. California 2: 479. 1880
Synonyms: Streptanthus californicus (S. Watson) Greene
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 7. Treatment on page 680. Mentioned on page 677, 678.

Annuals; (sometimes glaucous), hispid proximally, glabrous distally. Stems erect to subdecumbent, usually branched distally, 0.9–5.5 dm, sparsely hispid basally. Basal leaves rosulate; petiole 0.3–3.5 cm; blade oblanceolate, 0.7–8 cm × 3–25 mm, margins often coarsely dentate, sometimes somewhat pinnatifid. Cauline leaves (median) sessile; blade oblong or suborbicular to obovate, 0.6–7.5 cm × 3–55 mm (smaller distally, base amplexicaul), margins coarsely dentate or entire. Racemes (densely flowered), with a terminal cluster of sterile flowers. Fruiting pedicels ascending to reflexed, 2–11 mm, usually pubescent, rarely glabrous. Flowers: sepals erect to ascending (dark purple in bud, purplish green after anthesis), ovatelanceolate, 4–9 (–11) × 2.5–3.5 mm (unequal, adaxial one longest, keeled); petals white (with purple veins), 5.5–12 mm, blade 2–5 × 1–2 mm, crisped, claw narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 5–8 × 2.5–4 mm; filaments in 3 unequal pairs, abaxial pair 3–8 mm, lateral pair 2–7 mm, adaxial pair (connate), 5–9 mm; anthers oblong, equal, 1–3.5 mm. Fruits erect or reflexed (often straight), angustiseptate, 1.7–5 cm × 3.5–6 mm; valves each with prominent midvein; ovules 46–100 per ovary; style 0.2–2.7 mm; stigma strongly 2-lobed (lobes to 2 mm, opposite valves). Seeds (subglobose, plump), 1–1.6 mm diam., (cotyledons deeply 3-fid). 2n = 28.


Phenology: Flowering Feb–Apr.
Habitat: Grasslands, juniper woodlands
Elevation: 100-1000 m

Discussion

According to R. E. Buck (1995), the range of Caulanthus californicus was highly reduced from conversion of habitats into agricultural land, and it is now restricted to portions of Fresno, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties, whereas its previous range included also Kern, Kings, Monterey, Tulare, and Ventura counties.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"elongated" is not a number."thick" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Caulanthus californicus"
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz +
(S. Watson) Payson +
Stanfordia californica +
appendaged +  and unappendaged +
not +  and auriculate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
pinnatifid +, lobed +, sinuate +  and dentate +
crisped;suborbicular;obovate +
much smaller +  and reduced +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
urceolate +, campanulate +  and tubular +
branched +  and simple +
well-developed +
distinct +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
narrowly oblong +  and lanceolate +
well-differentiated +
2.5mm;4mm +
emarginate +  and entire +
incumbent +  and accumbent +
obliquely +  and incumbent +
100-1000 m +
straight +  and curved +
not winged +  and unappendaged +
connate +  and distinct +
zygomorphic +  and actinomorphic +
latiseptate +  and sessile +
1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
reflexed +  and erect +
angustiseptate +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
Grasslands, juniper woodlands +
sessile +, subsessile +  and petiolate +
alternate +, not +  and rosulate +
cauline +  and basal +
connate +  and distinct +
decurrent +
entire +  and dentate +
pinnatifid +
tenuinucellate +, crassinucellate +  and bitegmic +
campylotropous +  and anatropous +
unequal +
rudimentary +
crisped +, channeled +, linear +  and oblanceolate +
0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
Flowering Feb–Apr. +
trinucleate +  and 3(-11)-colpate +
Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. +
ascending +  and reflexed +
glabrous +  and pubescent +
stout +  and slender +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
mucilaginous +
margined +  and winged +
aseriate +, uniseriate +  and biseriate +
not +  and mucilaginous +
white +, black +, brown +  and yellow +
1mm;1.6mm +
subglobose +, ovoid +, oblong +  and flattened +
not basally +  and saccate +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
persistent +  and caducous +
distinct +
erect +  and ascending +
ovatelanceolate +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
reduced +
latiseptate +, schizocarpic +, samaroid +  and lomentaceous +
indehiscent +  and dehiscent +
angustiseptate +, flat +, angled +, terete +, torulose +, not +, segmented +  and nutletlike +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
tetradynamous +
unequal +
procumbent +  and decumbent +
not +  and capitate +
subsessile +, sessile +  and petiolate +
persistent +
distinct +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.27 cm2.7 mm <br />0.0027 m <br />) +
Streptanthus californicus +
Caulanthus californicus +
Caulanthus +
species +
coiled +, 1-7-veined +  and veined +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
anastomosing +
glabrous +  and hispid +
perennial +, biennial +  and annual +
subshrub +  and shrub +
aquatics +  and terrestrial +
glabrous +  and pubescent +