Draba cruciata

Mineral king draba

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Mineral king draba is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native perennial found in southern Sierra Nevada Mountains near Mineral King in Tulare County on gravelly subalpine slopes at elevations of 2,500 to 3,050 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces small yellow flowers with petals 4 to 6 millimeters long in compact clusters. Growing as a tufted herb with unbranched stems 5 to 14 centimeters tall, it forms dense clusters with distinctive hairy stems near the base. Its basal leaves are oblanceolate to ovate, 6 to 11 millimeters long, with entire or minutely toothed edges and glabrous surfaces. The plant produces narrowly lanceolate fruits 6 to 12 millimeters long, which are flat and slightly hairy.

Habitat: Gravelly slopes, subalpine areas

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2500-3050 m

Bioregions: s SNH (near Mineral King, Tulare Co.).

California counties: Tulare, Inyo, Fresno

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