Scientific Family
Brassicaceae
Other common names
prince's plume
golden princes' plume
golden desert plume
sentinel of the plains
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
3 to 6 feet
Riparian
No
A conspicuous and beautiful wildflower with plums of bright yellow flowers; generally standing 5 to 6 feet tall. Flower stalks persist for 1 or 2 years and this can help with identification.
Plants suffrutescent (woody); stems to 6 feet tall; petal blades <1/8 inch wide, bright yellow; petal claws (narrow, stalk-like, basal portion of a petal) are densely hairy on the inner face.
Habitat
Dry, open sites, desert scrub, woodlands, dunes, chaparral, ponderosa pine forests, streambanks, roadsides, disturbed habitats.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
2500
High elevation
6000
Flower Characteristics
Flower clusters to 24 inches, bloom from the bottom of the stalk upward over a period of many weeks or months; each flower has 4 sepals (bracts) and 4 yellow petals having long, wavy hairs on the inner side; the stamens are longer than the petals.
Flower color
Bright yellow
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Basal and lower stem leaves lanceolate, deeply pinnately lobed, 2 to 8 inches long; upper leaves are shorter, about 2 inches long, smooth to slightly lobed. Leaves usually coated with white waxy powder. Leaves and stems with or without hairs.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf shape
Pinnatifid
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Long, slender pods.
Fruit type
Pod
Fruit color
Brown
Oblong, about 1/16 inch long.