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| Erysimum capitatum var. lompocense |
| Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard) |
| Flowers — color: yellow, size: 1/2", type: 4 petals |
Lompoc Wallflower has four bright yellow petals, about 1/2" wide. Each flower has four long stamens with white anthers, two short stamens, and a pistil topped by a rounded stigma. Like the wild radish, the angles of the cross are not square. Flowers form in a capitatum: rounded columnar cluster, and the lower buds start to bloom in February. Enjoy the blooms before the deer 'decapitate' the flowers.
Habit:
As a biennial Lompoc Wallflower starts as a basal rosette with very narrow, smooth leaves. Next year the central stem, feeling firm and woody, reaches up to three feet high. Stem leaves range up to 4" long and attach directly to the stem. Three or four teeth line each edge. Found in partial shade in the coastal scrub. You might spy these bright yellow flowers along the roadside on Burton Mesa or Harris Grade Roads.
The main species, sanddune wallflower, ranges from Oregon to Mexico in the Coastal Ranges and Sierras. Western wallflower and prairie rocket are two other common names. The flowers are usually bright golden, but populations with red, white, or purple blooms are found. This variant subspecies grows only in western Santa Barbara and southern San Luis Obispo counties. The Lompoc Valley Botanical and Horticultural Society called this Lompoc Wallflower in their wildflower guide, and we got credit in the subspecies name. We're a proud community, so we'll stick with that name. A very similar variant, Island Wallflower, Erysium insulare, is shorter and has smooth-edged leaves.