Scientific Family
Brassicaceae
Synonyms
Streptanthus micranthus, Thelypodium longifolium var. catalinense, Thelypodium micranthum
Other common names
mountain cross
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Biennial or perennial
Height
1 to 2-1/2 feet
Riparian
No
Small biennial or perennial; erect branches can be simple or many, arising from basal rosette; often leafless; stems hairy near the base, becoming less hairy further from base; sepals purple or green enclose much of the petals; white or purplish petals.
Basal leaves absent at flowering, stem leaves lance-like, narrowest at stem, margin usually toothed; flowers on multiple sides of elongated stems, white or purplish, oblong; fruits slender, to 2-1/2 inches, stalks somewhat erect; seeds not winged.
Habitat
Found on loamy (rich), volcanic, and igneous soils, in pine-oak forests, grasslands, and along cliffs.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Grasslands
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
7000
Flower Characteristics
Flowers white or purplish, small and occasionally bunching in leaf axils; purple or green sepals enclose much of the petals; petals spatula-like to narrow, on slender stalks 1/8 to 1/2 inch long.
Flower color
White or purplish
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves sparse (are early deciduous and easily separated from plant), with variable margins (can be strongly wavy, lobed, toothed, or smooth), hairs with tree-like branching; basal leaves narrow, 3/4 to 2 inches long, stem leaves oblong to narrow.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruits erect to ascending, straight, up to 2-1/2 inches long; partitions transparent; ovules 90 to 140 per ovary.
Fruit type
Pod
Seeds biseriate (arranged in 2 rows) or uniseriate (arranged in a single series), plump, not winged, oblong; seed coat slimy when wet.