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Caulanthus inflatus
Caulanthus inflatus S. Watson
Desert Candle
Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)
Synonym(s): Streptanthus inflatus
USDA Symbol: CAIN15
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
A stout, swollen, hollow, yellow-green stem with few leaves, mostly near base, and many narrow flowers in a raceme.
This weird-looking plant resembles a candle or candelabrum. Wild Cabbage (C. crassicaulis) is similar, but its leaves lack backward-projecting lobes and its sepals and petals are purplish or brownish; it generally grows in sagebrush from western Nevada to southern Idaho, western Wyoming, and northwestern Colorado.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: AnnualHabit: Herb
Fruit Type: Silique
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: White , PurpleBloom Time: Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Jun
Distribution
USA: CANative Distribution: Southern California and southwestern Nevada.
Native Habitat: Sandy or gravelly, dry, open slopes in brush or deserts.
Web Reference
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Additional resources
USDA: Find Caulanthus inflatus in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Caulanthus inflatus in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Caulanthus inflatus
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-03-13Research By: TWC Staff