MeetingsQuestions?PublicationsSeeds BooksGardensSlides & VideosLinksSite Map

December 2004 Telesonix jamesii November 2004 Ranunculus eschscholtzii October 2004 Crocus speciosus September 2004 Arenaria 'Wallowas' August 2004 Scilla autumnalis July 2004 Leontopodium souliei June 2004 Penstemon pinifolius May 2004 Draba rigida v. bryoides April 2004 Vitaliana primuliflora March 2004 Clematis hirsutissima February 2004 Lewisia pygmaea January 2004 Hymenoxis grandiflora Archive 2003 Archive 2002 Archive 2001 Archive 2000 Archive 1999 Archive 1998 Archive 1997

Plant of the Month May 2004 Draba rigida v. bryoides by Iza Goroff Draba rigida v. bryoides is a member of the Brassicaceae, the crucifer family, which also includes many rock garden genera such as Alyssum, Aubrieta, Erysimum, Lesquerella, Parrya, Petrocallis, Phoenicaulis, Physaria, Ptilotrichum, and Thlaspi, all with the basic arrangement of four-petalled flowers. Draba rigida v. bryoides is native to the Caucasus Mountains which separate Europe from Asia. It blooms in mid-spring, a month or so after the earliest Drabas, e.g. Draba aizoides. Draba rigida v. bryoides forms a mat of tiny rosettes, each about 1/8" (3 mm) in diameter. The individual rosettes are visible in winter and very early spring. However, when the plant awakens, its rosettes are obscured with tiny green leaves; "bryoides" means looking like a moss. Unlike a moss, Draba rigida v. bryoides produces flowers, heads of small 1/4" (4 mm) bright pure yellow flowers on 1 - 2" (3 - 5 cm) stiff, thin, wiry stems. Despite their small size the flowers are showy from a distance due to their brightness and clarity of color. Draba rigida v. bryoides is a plant for the sunny rock garden. It grows well in crevice treatment or, as I plant it, with a surface layer of pea gravel and at least a 2" (5cm) or thicker layer of coarse sand under the gravel and above a more moisture retentive soil. It has survived -32 F (-35 C) with a light snow cover and -15 F (-26 C) without snow cover. It has never suffered any winter damage here (Wisconsin, USA), although warm winter wet could be a problem. Propagation is by seed or the separation of rosettes.