Taxon Report

Draba sharsmithii Roll. & Price

Mt. Whitney draba

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Draba sharsmithii, commonly known as Mt. Whitney draba, is a perennial herb in the Brassicaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Alpine boulder and rock field, and Subalpine coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 3300 to 3960 meters. Draba sharsmithii is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Draba sharsmithii Roll. & Price
Common Name:	Mt. Whitney draba
Family:	Brassicaceae
Element Code:	PDBRA113F0
USDA Plants Symbol:	DRSH
Synonyms/Other Names:	Draba cruciata Pays. var. integrifolia Hitchc. & Sharsm.

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Aug	Jul-Aug
Elevation:	3300-3960 (10825-12995)
General Habitats:	Alpine boulder and rock field, Subalpine coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	8
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	2
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	6

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Fresno (FRE), Inyo (INY), Tulare (TUL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Cirque Peak (3611842), Kearsarge Peak (3611873), Mount Whitney (3611853), Mt. Clarence King (3611874), Mt. Langley (3611852), Mt. Williamson (3611863)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	2	25 %
Foot traffic/trampling	2	25%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	25%

Notes



Potentially threatened by trail maintenance and foot traffic. See Madroño 5(5):151 (1940) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 13 November 2025].