''Caulanthus'' is a genus of plants in the family Brassicaceae. 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 Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...

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, Ne ...

and northern Mexico, 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 mushro ...

rising from a basal rosette of leaves. Flowers arise directly from the surface of the stem; many species have colorful, bell-shaped flowers. The best-known of the fourteen species is probably the

desert candle ''Caulanthus inflatus'', the desert candle, also referred to as squaw cabbage, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to the Mojave Desert of California and Nevada, and the southern Sierra Nevada and Transverse Ranges in the Uni ...

. Selected species: *''

Caulanthus amplexicaulis ''Caulanthus amplexicaulis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name claspingleaf wild cabbage. It is endemic to California, where it grows on open slopes in the Transverse Ranges and Outer South Calif ...

'' - claspingleaf wild cabbage, Santa Barbara jewelflower *'' Caulanthus anceps'' - Lemmon's mustard *'' Caulanthus barnebyi'' - Black Rock wild cabbage *''

Caulanthus californicus ''Caulanthus californicus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names California jewelflower and St. Francis cabbage. It is endemic to California, where it has been known only from the San Joaquin Valle ...

'' - California jewelflower *''

Caulanthus cooperi ''Caulanthus cooperi'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name Cooper's wild cabbage. It is native to the southwestern United States and Baja California, where it is a common plant in a number of open, ...

'' - Cooper's wild cabbage *''

Caulanthus coulteri ''Caulanthus coulteri'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name Coulter's wild cabbage. It is endemic to California, where it is a widespread member of the flora in several dry, open habitat types, suc ...

'' - 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 ''Caulanthus glaucus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names glaucous wild cabbage, bigleaf wildcabbage, and limestone jewelflower. It is native to southern Nevada and adjacent parts of eastern Cali ...

'' - glaucous wild cabbage *'' Caulanthus hallii'' - Hall's wild cabbage *''

Caulanthus heterophyllus ''Caulanthus heterophyllus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names San Diego wild cabbage and San Diego jewelflower. This annual wildflower is native to the coast ranges of southern California and B ...

'' - 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 ''Caulanthus pilosus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names hairy wild cabbage and chocolate drops. It is native to open, dry habitat in the Great Basin of Nevada, the Eastern slope of the Sierra Ne ...

'' - hairy wild cabbage, chocolate drops *'' Caulanthus simulans'' - 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'' - California mustard *''

Guillenia lemmonii ''Caulanthus anceps'' (syn. ''Guillenia lemmonii'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name Lemmon's mustard. It is endemic to California, where it grows on open slopes and plains in the Central Coast ...

'' - Lemmon's mustard

External links

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