CRUCIFER^: MUSTARD FAMILY 



Draba verna, L. 



White Whitlow Grass, 



Shad-flower. 

 March-May 



Draba: Greek name applied to some cress. 

 Verna: Latin signifying spring. 



THE PREFERRED HABITAT: gardens and roadsides. 



THE PLANT: erect, one inch to five inches high; the leaf- 

 less flowering stems numerous, with very few hairs. 



THE LEAVES: alternate; oblong, spatulate, or oblanceolate; 

 one half inch long or more; with short, soft hairs or nearly 

 smooth; acutish at the apex; large at the base; round- 

 toothed or nearly entire. 



THE FLOWERS: very small, on disproportionately long 

 stems, which are still longer in fruit; petals four; sepals 

 four, falling early; six stamens of irregular length. 



THE FRUIT: a pod. 



A tiny weed of gardens and roadsides, coming in the 

 early spring, its small, white flowers on bare stems from a 

 basal rosette of slender leaves. When the plant is in seed, 

 the brownish seed pod, rising from the dusty ground, is 

 an excellent example of color protection. 



This is an interesting species since it is an aggregate 

 of many closely related forms which seldom come to ma- 

 turity because of their cleistogamous or closed flowers. 



It is to be distinguished from the Lepidium (Pepper- 

 grass) and from the Capsella (Shepherd's Purse) by its 

 much smaller, almost entire leaves, of which all are basal. 



1 08 



