FWS Focus

Overview

Characteristics
Overview

Contra Costa wallflower (Erysimum capitatum var. angustatum) is an endangered plant associated with the Antioch Dunes ecosystem in northern California. With a few exceptions, Contra Costa wallflower is only found at Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge, where the last remnants of the Antioch Dunes are preserved.

Scientific Name

Erysimum capitatum var. angustatum
Common Name
Contra Costa wallflower
sand dune wallflower
FWS Category
Flowering Plants
Kingdom

Location in Taxonomic Tree

Identification Numbers

TSN:

Characteristics

Characteristic category

Habitat

Characteristics
Habitat

Contra Costa wallflower is associated with Antioch Dunes, a riverbank dune system that historically reached heights of over 100 feet and may have stretched for miles along the San Joaquin River. With a few minor exceptions Contra Costa wallflower can only be found at Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge (ADNWR), the last remnants of the Antioch Dunes.

Coastal

The land near a shore.

Characteristic category

Physical Characteristics

Characteristics
Size & Shape

??????Contra Costa wallflower is an herbaceous, short-lived perennial characterized by small yellow flowers and long, thin stems.

Color & Pattern

Contra Costa wallflower is characterized by small yellow flowers.

Characteristic category

Life Cycle

Characteristics
Life Cycle

??????Contra Costa wallflower is an herbaceous, short-lived perennial.

Characteristic category

Similar Species

Characteristics
Similar Species

???????Contra Costa wallflower is a variety of Western wallflower (Erysimum capitatum). Contra Costa wallflower is similar in appearance to other varieties of Western wallflower and other species in the genus Erysimum. Western wallflower is a member of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) that occurs in suitable habitat in western North America from México to Canada. The use of “wallflower” in the common name indicates the tendency of species in the genus Erysimum to grow on old rock walls and other rocky substrates.

Geography

Characteristics
Range

??????Contra Costa wallflower is an endangered plant associated with the Antioch Dunes ecosystem in northern California. Antioch Dunes is a riverbank dune system that historically reached heights of over 100 feet and may have stretched for miles along the south bank of the San Joaquin River. With a few exceptions, Contra Costa wallflower is only found at Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge, where the last remnants of the Antioch Dunes are preserved.

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