Draba breweri
Brewer's draba
(c) Steve Matson, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Steve Matson · licence
Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Draba breweri (Brewer's draba) is a native California herb in the Brassicaceae family, recognized by canescent habit, white flowers, and twisted fruits.
Brewer's draba is a California native perennial found in the high Sierra Nevada, northern Sierra Nevada, and White and Inyo Mountains in open, rocky areas, talus, and exposed ridges above timberline at elevations of 3,100 to 4,100 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces small white flowers on compact clusters with 7 to 18 delicate blooms. Growing as a tufted, canescent herb with stems 2 to 10 centimeters tall, it forms dense clusters from a woody caudex covered in 4 to 10-rayed hairs. Its basal leaves are oblanceolate to obovate, 4 to 15 millimeters long, densely covered with multi-rayed hairs on both surfaces. The fruit is a flat, slightly twisted lance-shaped pod 3.5 to 9 millimeters long, containing 28 to 40 tiny ovoid seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 18 sympatric species; key features are canescent habit, white flowers, and twisted fruits
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, rocky areas, talus, exposed ridges, generally above timberline
Elevation: 3100-4100 m
California counties: Fresno, Inyo, Tulare, Mono, Siskiyou, Madera, Tuolumne, Shasta, Alpine, Mariposa
Bloom period
Draba breweri blooms Jul-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 breweri native to California?
Yes. Draba breweri is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Draba breweri bloom?
Draba breweri blooms Jul-Aug.
Where in California does Draba breweri grow?
Draba breweri occurs in Fresno, Inyo, Tulare, Mono, Siskiyou, Madera, Tuolumne, Shasta and other counties, at elevations of 3100-4100 m.
What plant family does Draba breweri belong to?
Draba breweri is in the Brassicaceae family, genus Draba.
What habitat does Draba breweri grow in?
Draba breweri grows in Open, rocky areas, talus, exposed ridges, generally above timberline.
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.