Taxon Report

Tropidocarpum californicum Al-Shehbaz

Kings gold

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Tropidocarpum californicum, commonly known as Kings gold, is a annual herb in the Brassicaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chenopod scrub, growing at elevations from 65 to 180 meters. Tropidocarpum californicum is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Tropidocarpum californicum Al-Shehbaz
Common Name:	Kings gold
Family:	Brassicaceae
Element Code:	PDBRA33010
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Twisselmannia californica

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Feb-Mar	Feb-Mar
Elevation:	65-180 (215-590)
General Habitats:	Chenopod scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	9
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	4
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	2
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	2

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Kern (KRN), Kings (KNG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Los Viejos (3511988), Lost Hills NE (3511965), Lost Hills NW (3511966), West Camp (3511977)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	4	44 %
Grazing	4	44%
Disking	2	22%
Agriculture	2	22%
Development	1	11%

Notes




Threats:
Threatened by development. Possibly threatened by grazing.
Taxonomy:
See Novon 9(2):133 (1999) for original description.

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 22 November 2025].