Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

HOARY CRESS

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Cardaria draba (L. ) Desv.

Riley County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 4-24 inches

Family: Brassicaceae - Mustard Family

Flowering Period: April, May, June, July

Also Called:

Whitetop.

Stems:

Erect, stout, branching above, short-hairy below, nearly smooth above.

Leaves:

Alternate, simple, bluish-green, oblong to egg-shaped, ascending or erect; margins irregularly toothed, wavy or entire; basal leaves stalked, 1.6 to 4 inches long, to 1.6 inches wide; upper leaves clasping, oblong to lanceolate, .8 to 2.8 inches long.

Inflorescences:

Racemes, numerous, densely-flowered, terminal; form broad, flat-topped corymbs.

Flowers:

Stalk 2/5 to 3/5 inch long; sepals 4, blunt, glabrous, 1/12 to 1/10 inch long; petals 4, spatulate, 1/8 to 1/6 inch long, white to cream, clawed; margins toothed to entire; nectar glands large, well-developed; stamens 6.

Fruits:

Pod, broadly heart-shaped, 1/10 to 1/8 inch long, 1/8 to 1/5 inch wide, somewhat flattened, glabrous; stalks 2/5 to 3/5 inch long, seeds 2-4, oval, about 1/12 inch wide, reddish-brown.

Habitat:

Roadsides, open waste areas, cultivated fields; disturbed, alkaline soils.

Distribution:

East 3/4 of Kansas.

Origin:

Native to Eurasia; introduced.

Forage Value:

Livestock will graze it when other forage is unavailable but it will irritate the mucous membranes.

Uses:

Small mammals and ground-foraging birds eat the seeds.

Comments:

An aggressive weed that forms large stands. It is difficult to eradicate and is a serious problem in the western U.S.