A rare yellow-flowered California plant unseen since 1957 has been rediscovered

The caper-fruited Tropidocarpum, unseen since 1957, was rediscovered in the hills of eastern Contra Costa County on March 3, 2025.

Botanists Heath Bartosh and Spencer Adams of Nomad Ecology found the plant on protected land in Vasco Hills Regional Preserve, after a deliberate search.

The plant was first documented in 1888 by Edward Lee Greene, a botany professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Its decline is attributed to competition from non-native species, but a 2023 sighting prompted the search for a larger population.

Annual plants like this may not germinate yearly, so documentation required persistent surveying.