''Caulanthus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of plants in the family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The l ...

. Plants of this genus may be known as jewelflowers. They are also often referred to as wild cabbage, although this common name usually refers to wild variants of ''Brassica oleraceae'', the cabbage plant. Jewelflowers are native to the

southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...

and

northern Mexico Northern Mexico ( es, el Norte de México ), commonly referred as , is an informal term for the northern cultural and geographical area in Mexico. Depending on the source, it contains some or all of the states of Baja California, Baja California ...

, where they are often found in warm, arid regions. Many species have an enlarged, erect

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushr ...

rising from a basal rosette of leaves.

Flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

arise directly from the surface of the stem; many

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

have colorful, bell-shaped flowers. The best-known of the fourteen species is probably the desert candle. Selected species: *'' Caulanthus amplexicaulis'' - claspingleaf wild cabbage, Santa Barbara jewelflower *'' Caulanthus anceps'' - Lemmon's mustard *'' Caulanthus barnebyi'' - Black Rock wild cabbage *'' Caulanthus californicus'' - California jewelflower *'' Caulanthus cooperi'' - Cooper's wild cabbage *'' Caulanthus coulteri'' - Coulter's wild cabbage *''

Caulanthus crassicaulis ''Caulanthus crassicaulis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name thickstem wild cabbage. It is native to the western United States where it is a member of the flora in sagebrush, woodland, and dese ...

'' - thickstem wild cabbage *'' Caulanthus glaucus'' - glaucous wild cabbage *''

Caulanthus hallii ''Caulanthus hallii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name Hall's wild cabbage. Distribution It is native to southern California and northern Baja California. It grows in the Colorado Desert (w ...

'' - Hall's wild cabbage *'' Caulanthus heterophyllus'' - San Diego wild cabbage *'' Caulanthus inflatus'' - desert candle *''

Caulanthus major ''Caulanthus major'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name slender wild cabbage. It is native to the Great Basin and surrounding regions of the United States, where it grows on dry mountain slopes an ...

'' - slender wild cabbage *'' Caulanthus pilosus'' - hairy wild cabbage, chocolate drops *''

Caulanthus simulans ''Caulanthus simulans'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Payson's wild cabbage and Payson's jewelflower. It is endemic to southern California, where it is known mainly from open, dry habitat ...

'' - Payson's wild cabbage

Formerly included taxa

*''

Guillenia flavescens ''Guillenia flavescens'' is a species of mustard plant. It is one of several species known by the common name yellow mustard, though the plant most widely known as yellow mustard is probably ''Sinapis alba''. ''G. flavescens'' is a thin-stemmed ...

'' - yellow mustard *''

Guillenia lasiophylla ''Guillenia lasiophylla'' is a species of mustard plant known by the common names California mustard and slenderpod jewelflower. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to northern Mexico. It can be found in a variety of habi ...

'' - California mustard *'' Guillenia lemmonii'' - Lemmon's mustard

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2714589 Brassicaceae genera