Draba verna
(Spring Draba)

Other pictures of this plant:


               Seedpod                                           Leaf                                            Stem                                        Seed                                          Habit

Facts About this Plant:

    Common Names: Spring Draba, Shadflower, Nailwort, Common Whitlowgrass, Vernal Whitlow Grass, Early Whitlow grass, Whitlow-grass
    Synonyms: Draba praecox, Erophila spathulata, Erophila verna
    Lifespan: Annual
    Zones: N/A
    Type: Forb
    Bloom Time: February - May
    Status: Native?
    Range:

Draba verna, or Spring Draba, is a late winter and spring annual that comes up in late fall or late winter. It is arguably native, though many references say it is introduced - it can be found growing in the Eastern US and the Western US, but is absent from the central US. It grows in fields, prairies, and also in open areas of lawns and driveways. It blooms very early in spring and then sets seed and dies back until the following fall.

This plant looks like many other species of Draba, but its most distinguishing feature is on its flowers, which has single petals that are deeply divided into two lobes, so much that it looks like four sets of two petals.

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