Streptanthella Longirostris, Longbeak Streptanthella

Streptanthella longirostris produces one to several, slender, upright, branching stems. Leaves have a bluish-green coating, and occur around the base and the lower half of the stems, though basal leaves wither before flowering. Leaf margins are usually entire but may be toothed or pinnately lobed.

Buds are colored purple, and are clustered tightly together, but the stem lengthens as they open, in stages, so that the (alternate) urn-shaped flowers become quite widely separated. Sepals are variously greenish or purplish, oblong in outline, and occur in two slightly differently shaped pairs. Petals are yellowish, somewhat longer than the sepals, though still relatively short (around a quarter of an inch). The flower center contains six stamens, in three unequal-length pairs; at least one pair is exserted, and often curved backwards at the tip. Fruits are very thin, up to 2.5 inches long, and angled downwards.