Skip to main content

Wedge-leaf draba

Also known as: wedge-leaved whitlow-grass

Draba cuneifolia Nutt.

Images

Click on image to view full size

Wedge-leaf draba
Wedge-leaf draba leaves
Wedge-leaf draba flowers
Wedge-leaf draba inflorescence
Wedge-leaf draba flowers
Wedge-leaf draba leaves
Wedge-leaf draba

Morphology

Stem
Erect, simple or branched at base, stiff-hairy with spreading, stalked, branched pubescence.
Leaves
Basal, simple, narrowly egg-shaped to wedge-shaped, .5 to 1.25 inch long, to .5 inch wide, grayish, stiff-hairy; margins coarsely toothed toward tips; tips blunt; leaves near stem bases.
Inflorescence
Racemes, dense, elongating at maturity, to 2 to 4 inches.
Flower
4-parted, to 1/4 inch wide; stalks less than 1/3 inch long, ascending or spreading, pubescent; sepals 4, oblong-ovate to linear, less than 1/10 inch long; tips blunt; petals 4, usually about 1/6 inch long, white; tips notched.
Fruit
Pods, elliptic to linear-oblong, 1/3 to 2/3 inch long, flat, minutely hairy or glabrous; seeds 28-40, tiny, in 2 to several rows.

Ecology

Habitat
Dry rocky ledges and rocky open woods, in sandy or limestone soils.
Distribution
East 1/2 of Kansas.

Additional Notes

Comments

Draba species were thought to be a remedy for a fingernail or hoof infection called whitlow, which gives it the common name "wedge-leaved whitlow-grass".

Quick Facts
Plant Type
Wildflower
Family
Brassicaceae - Mustard Family
Life Span
Annual
Height
4-10 inches
Last Updated
2007-09-24
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Blooms: March, April