Draba incrassata
Sweetwater mountains draba
(c) Steve Matson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3
Draba incrassata (Sweetwater mountains draba) is a native California herb in the Brassicaceae family, recognized by glabrous habit and decurrent pedicel bases.
Sweetwater mountains draba is a rare California native (CNPS 1B.3) perennial herb found in northern eastern Sierra Nevada in the Sweetwater Mountains of Mono County, inhabiting alpine barrens and rocky slopes at elevations of 2,500 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces small, bright yellow flowers in compact clusters of 8 to 22 blooms, each petal 3 to 5 millimeters long. Growing as a tufted, scapose perennial with few to many unbranched stems 2 to 8 centimeters tall, it emerges from a distinctive caudex. Its basal leaves are small, 3 to 10 millimeters long, obovate to oblanceolate with entire margins and delicate ciliate edges, glabrous or bearing simple short-stalked two-rayed hairs. The fruit is a flat, glabrous ovate to lance-elliptic structure 3 to 7 millimeters long, containing 8 to 12 small oblong seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species; key features are glabrous habit and decurrent pedicel bases
Habitat and range
Habitat: Alpine barrens, rocky slopes
Elevation: 2500-3500 m
California counties: Mono
Bloom period
Draba incrassata blooms Jun-Aug.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.3
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 incrassata native to California?
Yes. Draba incrassata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Draba incrassata bloom?
Draba incrassata blooms Jun-Aug.
Where in California does Draba incrassata grow?
Draba incrassata occurs in Mono, at elevations of 2500-3500 m.
What plant family does Draba incrassata belong to?
Draba incrassata is in the Brassicaceae family, genus Draba.
Is Draba incrassata rare or endangered?
Draba incrassata carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.3, state rank S2S3.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.