Chocolate drops - hairy caulanthus
hairy wild cabbage
Caulanthus pilosus
Color: Whitish
Common name: Chocolate drops, hairy caulanthus, hairy wild cabbage,
Latin name: Caulanthus pilosus
Family: BRASSICACEAE
Height: Up to 3.5 feet
Description: Stem: branches 0–many, Flower: sepals 3–10 mm, greenish to purple, darker in bud or not; petals 5–13 mm, whitish or purplish, generally wavy margins are thin, dry, pliable translucent or variously colored, but not green.
Leaf: Lower blades 1–25 cm, oblanceolate (lance-shaped, with the broad end at the top) to oblong, upper blades linear to oblanceolate.
Range: c&s High Sierra Nevada (e slope), s Modoc Plateau (Honey Lake), East of Sierra Nevada, n Desert Mountains
Habitat: Open, dry areas
Elevation: 600–2800 m.
Flowering time: Apr–Jul
Notes: Photographed May 8, 2004 on Whitney Portal Road, Kern County, Calif. A dicot, is an uncommon annual or perennial herb that is native to California and is also found outside of California, but is confined to western North America. Distribution outside California: to se Oregon, s Idaho, w Utah The common name "chocolate drops" refers to the dark-colored sepals which are more obvious than the actual whitish flowers.
Photos tips Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert wildflowers This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page to each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
Related DesertUSA Pages
- How to Turn Your Smartphone into a Survival Tool
- 26 Tips for Surviving in the Desert
- Death by GPS
- 7 Smartphone Apps to Improve Your Camping Experience
- Maps Parks and More
- Desert Survival Skills
- How to Keep Ice Cold in the Desert
- Desert Rocks, Minerals & Geology Index
- Preparing an Emergency Survival Kit
- Get the Best Hotel and Motel Rates
Share this page on Facebook:
The Desert Environment
The North American Deserts
Desert Geological Terms