About Streptanthus longirostris (S.Watson) S.Watson
Streptanthella is a genus of flowering plants in the mustard family Brassicaceae. The genus contains only one species, Streptanthella longirostris, which is commonly called longbeak streptanthella, or just streptanthella. This species is native to western North America, and can be found throughout the western United States and the northwestern states of Mexico. It grows in a wide variety of habitat types, including deserts, sagebrush, foothill woodlands, sandy flats, chaparral, and scrubby canyons. It is an annual herb that grows a slender, erect, highly branched stem that reaches up to half a meter tall. Its lower leaves are lance-shaped with either toothed or smooth edges, while leaves further up the stem are narrower, linear in shape, and less likely to have toothed edges. The upper portion of the stem holds a long inflorescence, which is an open raceme bearing many flowers. The newest buds at the top of the inflorescence are often purple. More fully developed flowers grow spaced along the stem below the buds, each attached on a short pedicel. Flowers measure less than one centimeter in length. Each flower is enclosed by four thick sepals. At the tip of the flower are spoon-shaped petals, which range from white to yellow and have purple veining. The fruit is a long, dangling silique that can reach up to 7 centimeters long, and contains flat, winged seeds.
