Draba asterophora

Lake tahoe draba

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Lake tahoe draba is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains in alpine rock crevices, barrens, and talus at elevations of 2,600 to 3,300 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces bright yellow flowers 5 to 7 millimeters long in small clusters of 5 to 20 blooms. Growing as a compact, loosely tufted herb with stems 3 to 11 centimeters tall, it forms delicate alpine cushions. Its basal leaves are broadly spoon-shaped, 4 to 14 millimeters long, with distinctive stalked, multi-rayed hairs. The fruit is a flat, lanceolate to ovate capsule 5 to 11 millimeters long, containing 14 to 18 small seeds.

Habitat: rock crevices, alpine barrens, talus

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 2600-3300 m

Bioregions: n&ampc SNH

California counties: El Dorado, Mono, Alpine

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.