Lake Tahoe Draba

Description

Draba asterophora is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Lake Tahoe draba. It is native to the High Sierra Nevada of California and western Nevada around the Lake Tahoe area. It is a squat perennial herb which forms small mats in rocky habitat in the alpine climate of the high mountains. It forms a basal patch of thick, hairy oval leaves up to 1.5 centimeters long. A small, erect inflorescence arises from the patch bearing several yellow mustardlike flowers. The fruit is a flat, wavy silique which is oval in shape, somewhat membranous, and up to 1.5 centimeters long. It contains several flat, round seeds with wide wings along the edges.