About Streptanthus diversifolius S.Watson
Streptanthus diversifolius S.Watson is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family, with the common names variableleaf jewelflower and varied-leaved jewelflower. It is endemic to California, restricted to the Sierra Nevada foothills, where it grows in woodlands and other foothill habitats. This is an annual herb that produces a hairless, waxy stem reaching up to one meter in height. Its basal leaves have variable shapes, and are often divided into narrow, threadlike segments. Leaves positioned higher on the stem also vary in shape, bearing round to lance-shaped blades that clasp the stem at their bases. Flowers grow at intervals along the upper stem, with one or two leaflike bracts at the base of the raceme. Each flower has an urn-shaped calyx made of keeled sepals that are about half a centimeter long. The calyx can be white, yellowish, or purple, and sometimes has white edging. White petals marked with purple veins emerge from the tip of the calyx. The fruit is a thin, flat, curving silique that may reach 8 to 9 centimeters in length.
