Wisconsin's rare plants

Rock Whitlow-grass is an erect forb, 1-4dm tall, with a loose, branched cluster (cyme) flower with a head up to 10cm long, yellow buds, and 4-parted white flowers. Its fruits are long, narrow, smooth, and twisting pods. Its lower leaves are hairy, oblong, often with sharp teeth.

It can be distinguished from Draba glabella by its lack of simple trichomes on the bottom half of the stem. Each species has some star-shaped trichomes on the abaxial leaf surface, but these are sessile in D arabisans and stalked in D glabella.

Blooming occurs late-June through late-July, fruiting early-July through early-September.

Perennial. The optimal identification period for this species is early-July through early-September.

Associated species include Thuja occidentalis, Zigadenus elegans, Solidago hispida, Abies balsamea, Betula alleghaniensis, B papyrifera, Acer spicatum, Cystopteris bulbifera, Asplenium rhizophyllum, and Cryptogramma stelleri.

Rock Whitlow-grass prefers rocky, calcareous soils and is found on exposed to shaded (often by white cedar) dolomite cliffs.

Avoid broadcast spraying of herbicides and use care with spot spraying.

Avoid direct disturbance to sensitive microsites such as seeps, cliffs, and moss-covered boulders.

Follow BMPs, especially around streams and use care near ravines, steep slopes, cliffs, rock outcrops, etc.

Buffer management around unique microhabitats such as ephemeral ponds, seeps, etc.

Minimize disturbance to hydrology, including soil disturbance from rutting.

Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) are associated with habitats (or natural communities) and places on the landscape. Understanding relationships among SGCN, natural communities and ecological landscapes help us make decisions about issues affecting SGCN and their habitat and how to respond. Download the Wildlife Action Plan association score spreadsheet to explore rare species, natural communities and ecological landscape associations

Conservation actions respond to issues or threats, which adversely affect species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) or their habitats. Besides actions such as restoring wetlands or planting resilient tree species in northern communities, research, surveys and monitoring are also among conservation actions described in the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan because lack of information can threaten our ability to successfully preserve and care for natural resources.