Mt. Tamalpais jewelflower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mt. Tamalpais jewelflower |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Streptanthus
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| Species: |
batrachopus
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The Mt. Tamalpais jewelflower (scientific name: Streptanthus batrachopus) is a very special and rare flowering plant. It belongs to the mustard family. You can only find this plant in one specific area: around Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California. This means it is endemic to that region, like a plant that only lives in one unique spot on Earth. There are fewer than ten places where this plant grows naturally, making it quite rare.
What It Looks Like (Description)
The Mt. Tamalpais jewelflower is an annual herb. This means it lives for only one growing season. It grows a stem that can be straight or have branches. This stem can reach about 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) tall, or sometimes a little taller.
Leaves
The leaves near the bottom of the stem are usually oval or shaped like a spear. They have slightly toothed edges, like tiny saw blades. These leaves feel a bit thick or fleshy. They also have a cool mottled pattern, which means they have different colored spots or streaks. These lower leaves are usually small, about 2 to 3 centimeters long. Leaves higher up on the stem are typically spear-shaped.
Flowers
The flowers grow along the upper part of the stem. Each flower has a cup-shaped part called a calyx. This calyx is made of purple or greenish sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the flower bud. The sepals are about half a centimeter long. From the tip of the calyx, purple or white petals with purple streaks emerge.
Fruit
After the flower blooms, it produces a fruit called a silique. This silique can be straight or slightly curved. It can grow up to 3 centimeters (about 1.2 inches) long.
Where It Lives (Habitat)
The Mt. Tamalpais jewelflower likes to grow in certain types of places, called its habitat. It can be found in areas known as chaparral. These are dry lands with tough shrubs. It also grows in coniferous forests, which are forests with cone-bearing trees like pines.
This plant usually grows in a special kind of ground called serpentine soil. Serpentine soils are unique because they have high levels of certain minerals and low levels of others. This makes it hard for many plants to grow there, but the Mt. Tamalpais jewelflower is adapted to these conditions.
