Taxon Report

Erysimum menziesii (Hook.) Wettst.

Menzies' wallflower

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Erysimum menziesii, commonly known as Menzies' wallflower, is a perennial herb in the Brassicaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal dunes, growing at elevations from 0 to 35 meters. Erysimum menziesii is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Erysimum menziesii (Hook.) Wettst.
Common Name:	Menzies' wallflower
Family:	Brassicaceae
Element Code:	PDBRA160R0
USDA Plants Symbol:	ERME5
Synonyms/Other Names:	Erysimum menziesii ssp. menziesii Erysimum menziesii ssp. eurekense Erysimum menziesii ssp. yadonii

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Sep	Mar-Sep
Elevation:	0-35 (0-115)
General Habitats:	Coastal dunes
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	CE
Fed List:	FE
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_UCBG
CRPR Changes:	changed from CBR to 1B.1 on 2012-12-11 Considered But Rejected on 2012-02-21

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	19
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	3
Good (B)	8
Fair (C)	3
Poor (D)	2
None (X)	3
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Humboldt (HUM), Mendocino (MEN), Monterey (MNT)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Cannibal Island (4012463), Eureka (4012472), Fort Bragg (3912347), Inglenook (3912357), Marina (3612167), Monterey (3612158), Tyee City (4012482)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	10
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	17	89 %
Non-native plant impacts	13	68%
ORV activity	9	47%
Development	9	47%
Foot traffic/trampling	8	42%
Erosion/runoff	5	26%
Other	5	26%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	5	26%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	10%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	5%
Mining	1	5%

Notes



Plants treated as sspp. eurekense (known only from the Humboldt Bay area; threatened by development, vehicles, and non-native plants), menziesii (nearly extirpated on the Monterey Peninsula; seriously threatened by development, vehicles, deer browsing, and non-native plants), and yadonii (known only from near Marina on Monterey Bay; threatened by development and sand mining) are not validly published; see these names in TJM (1993). See Zoe 5(6-8):103 (1901) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

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 25 November 2025].