Spring Draba (Draba verna)

Description

Draba verna (syn. Erophila verna) may also go by the names spring draba, shadflower, nailwort, common whitlowgrass, vernal whitlow grass, early witlow grass or whitlow-grass. It is a small plant found in sagebrush country in the inland western United States, North Africa, temperate Asia, and most of Europe, including Britain. It was once thought to have been introduced to America from Europe, but is now considered native to both continents. It grows in very early spring. The flowers have four deeply notched white petals, and are borne an inch or two above the ground by a long stem. The leaves are clustered at the base. The native range of Draba verna includes parts of Great Britain and Central Europe, specifically parts of Denmark, The Netherlands, and Belgium and Hungary. It is postulated that Draba verna was brought to North America when the European colonizers came to the New World. Draba verna originated in Europe and naturalized in the US, specifically eastern US and along the Pacific coast. Specific regions that the species has been found in the United States include most Western States (California, Nevada, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) and The Eastern States (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennesse, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, . Outside the United States, Draba verna has been found in the high Semien Mountains of Ethiopia as well as in the Bale Mountains, which is a unique location for this species to grow since it is reasonably further south and in a more tropical region than the Draba verna growing in the United States. It is found in Chile and Patagonia, Argentina as well and is predicted to have been brought from Europe by colonizers. It was first recorded in 1901. It has also been found in Canada, specifically recorded in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. Draba verna in this region is presumed to have been dispersed from Europe partially by campers and hikers since this species is typically considered a weed found in camping grounds or open fields. Regions of Great Britain and surrounding islands, most of the mainland of Europe, as displyed in the image on the right, are other places D. verna has been found. In the continent of Asia, D. verna has been recorded in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.