Draba albertina
Alaska whitlow grass
(c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Draba albertina (Alaska whitlow grass) is a native California herb in the Brassicaceae family, recognized by yellow flowers and glabrous linear fruits.
Alaska whitlow grass is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada, northern Sierra Nevada, Santa Barbara Islands, Modoc Plateau, and White and Inyo Mountains in moist meadows, streambanks, woodland, and rocky knolls at elevations of 900 to 3,700 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces small yellow flowers about 2 to 3 millimeters wide. Growing with branched stems 5 to 30 centimeters tall, it has a delicate, spreading growth habit. Its basal leaves are oblanceolate to obovate, 3 to 28 millimeters long, with fine ciliate edges and varying hair types on leaf surfaces. The fruit is a slender linear pod 4 to 12 millimeters long, bearing 20 to 44 small oblong seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 19 sympatric species; key features are yellow flowers and glabrous linear fruits
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist meadows, streambanks, woodland, rocky knolls, disturbed areas
Elevation: 900-3700 m
California counties: Fresno, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Tulare, Tuolumne, Alpine, Nevada, Mariposa, Modoc, Placer, Madera, El Dorado, Shasta, Lassen, Sierra, Siskiyou, Trinity
Outside California: to Alaska, western Canada, Colorado, New Mexico
Bloom period
Draba albertina blooms Jun-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Physaria: Draba has flattened pods; Physaria has inflated balloon-like pods.; vs Lepidium: Draba has flattened pods with 10+ seeds; Lepidium has flat round pods with 2 seeds per chamber.; vs Boechera: Draba pods short and broad; Boechera pods long and narrow like pencils.
Frequently asked questions
Is Draba albertina native to California?
Yes. Draba albertina is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Draba albertina bloom?
Draba albertina blooms Jun-Aug.
Where in California does Draba albertina grow?
Draba albertina occurs in Fresno, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Tulare, Tuolumne, Alpine, Nevada and other counties, at elevations of 900-3700 m.
What plant family does Draba albertina belong to?
Draba albertina is in the Brassicaceae family, genus Draba.
What habitat does Draba albertina grow in?
Draba albertina grows in Moist meadows, streambanks, woodland, rocky knolls, disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.