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General: Heartleaf Twistflower (Streptanthus cordatus)
is a small perennial herb with a basal rosette of leaves and usually a
single flower stalk. The leaves are sessile, clasping, elongate, and toothed
with prickly points. The inflorescense is a raceme, and flowers are not accompanied by leaf-like bracts. The flower is urn-shaped with 4 narrow petals, purple, long and thin, with a forked, two-lobed stigma, and relatively large anthers 2–6 mm). The fruits are a pea-like bean pod, generally glabrous
Heartleaf Twistflower is an uncommon component of vegetation communities in dry,
well-drained gravelly soils in the middle-elevation mountains in the Upper Sonoran (Pinyon-Juniper
Woodland) and Transition (Yellow Pine Forest) life zones.
Family: Mustard Family (Brassicaceae).
Other Names: Jewelflower |
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Plant Form: Upright herb.
Height: short.
Stems: Single.
Leaves: Toothed, clasping.
Flowers: Purple, tubular, with lobed stigma.
Seeds: |
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Habitat: Pinyon-Juniper Woodland and Yellow Pine Forests
Elevation: 4,000 to 10,000 feet
Distribution: California and Nevada.
Comments: Look for this species during spring Desert National Wildlife Range, Mormon Well area and Basin and Range National Monument. |