Hoary Cress

Hoary Cress, Whitetop

Cardaria draba (L.) Desv.

Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)

▲ ▼ young shoots emerging from creeping roots in spring

▲ ▼ flowering plants

▲ ▼ flowers

▲ inflated, heart-shaped fruit pods (siliques)

▲ ▼ stems and leaves

Hoary Cress, Whitetop:

a creeping perennial weed that produces creeping roots
produces colonies of mostly unbranched stems
leaves are lanceolate, with toothed margins; base of leaves wrap partially around stem
produces clusters of terminal racemes with showy white flowers in mid to late spring
silique is a small, inflated, heart-shaped capsule
has irritating sap, if livestock graze it
can be very difficult to control, due to lack of susceptibility to many herbicides and its underground structures
more common north or west of here, but could potentially become established here
two other similar creeping perennial species--lens-podded hoary cress, and hairy whitetop more common further west--distinguished only by silique shapes