Draba praealta

Tall draba

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Tall draba is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial herb found in the central Sierra Nevada eastern slope, including Mono and Inyo counties, in montane and subalpine moist meadows, streambanks, forest, and talus at elevations of 2,500 to 4,100 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white flowers 2.8 to 3.5 millimeters long with delicate petals. Growing with branched stems 8 to 32 centimeters tall, covered in 2 to 5-rayed hairs throughout its structure. Its basal rosette leaves are oblanceolate, 1 to 3.5 centimeters long, with dentate edges and ciliate margins bearing stalked, multi-rayed hairs. The fruit develops as a flat, lanceolate pod 7 to 12 millimeters long, sparsely covered with simple and short-stalked hairs.

Habitat: Montane or subalpine moist meadows, streambanks, forest, talus, shale cliffs

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 2500-4100 m

Bioregions: c SNH (e slope, Mono, Inyo cos.)

California counties: Inyo, Mono, Tuolumne, Fresno, Alpine, Mariposa

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