These California Wildflowers Could Save Other Plants
Understanding Native Jewelflowers Could Help Plants Adapt and Survive Changing Weather Patterns
As wildflowers go, the mountain jewelflower is demure, clever and quietly unbreakable. It has spread across many of California’s iconic landscapes, from Sonoma wine country to the oak-dotted foothills, even over the Sierra Crest, where snow covers the ground during winter.
“It seems at first glance like it could grow just about anywhere,” said Jennifer Gremer, an associate professor in the Department of Evolution and Ecology at the University of California, Davis. “But if you look more closely, it’s surprisingly vulnerable.” The mountain jewelflower (Streptanthus tortuosus) faces an uncertain future — as do the 30 or so other jewelflower species spread across California.