Socrates Mine jewelflower facts for kids

The Socrates Mine jewelflower (Streptanthus brachiatus) is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the mustard family, which includes many well-known plants like broccoli and cabbage. This special plant is only found in a small area of California.

It grows in the Inner North Coast Ranges of California, just north of the San Francisco Bay Area. You can often find it in dry, shrubby areas called chaparral and in woodlands. It especially likes to grow in serpentine soil, which is a unique type of soil that comes from certain rocks. This plant lives in Sonoma, Lake, and Napa Counties.

What is the Socrates Mine Jewelflower?

The Socrates Mine jewelflower is a type of plant called a biennial herb. This means it lives for two years. In its first year, it grows leaves close to the ground. In its second year, it grows a stem, flowers, and then makes seeds before it dies.

How Does the Jewelflower Grow?

This plant can grow a branching stem up to about 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) tall. At the bottom of the plant, there's a group of leaves called a basal rosette. These leaves are thick, purple-green, and shaped like a spear. They have sharp teeth along their edges and can be up to 4 centimeters long. Leaves higher up on the stem can look a bit different.

What Do Its Flowers Look Like?

The flowers grow along the upper part of the stem. Each flower has a cup-shaped part called a calyx, which is made of yellowish or purplish sepals. Sepals are like small leaves that protect the flower bud. These sepals are less than a centimeter long. From the top of the calyx, white, purple, or white petals with purple veins emerge.

What About Its Fruit?

After the flowers bloom, the plant produces a type of fruit called a silique. A silique is a long, thin, narrow pod that holds the seeds. For the Socrates Mine jewelflower, these pods can be up to 6 centimeters long.