SPECIES DESCRIPTION
DRABA PRAECOX

Family and Genus:- See- CRUCIFERAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:-

Meaning:- Draba (Gr) Acrid, a name used by the Greek physician and botanist
Dioscorides.
                  Praecox (L) Premature, early-ripening.

General description:- Herbaceous plant.

Stems:-
1) Often solitary, up to 9 cm in fruit.

Leaves:-
1) In a basal rosette, broadly elliptical to lanceolate, almost glabrous or with an
    indumentum, sometimes with a few 2-fid or stellate hairs.

Flowers:-
1) Inflorescence indeterminate with flowers on slender peduncles 1.5-6 mm.
2) Sepals 1-2 mm.
3) Petals 2.5 mm white or reddish.

Fruit:-
1) Silicula 3-16 x 1.6-3.3 mm, not more than twice as long as broad. usually flat,
    linear or narrowly elliptical to obovate or suborbicular, glabrous.
2) Seeds 0·3-0·8 mm, numerous.

Key features:-
1) Indumentum predominantly of short, stiff, simple hairs, sometimes with a few
    2-fid or stellate hairs.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Roadsides, dry open shrubby vegetation, field margins, open coniferous
woodland, dolines. 0-1900 m.

Distribution:- Widespread in the Mediterranean region ,SC Europe and SW Asia.
Fairly common and widespread on Crete.

Flowering time:- Mid-Feb to June, according to altitude.

Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis
Shape 3
Shape 1
Shape 2