Cardaria chalepensis (=C. draba ssp. chalepensis) (lens-podded white top)

Cardaria chalepensis (=C. draba ssp. chalepensis)

Photo courtesy Joseph DiTomaso

Cardaria chalepensis (=C. draba ssp. chalepensis) (lens-podded whitetop) is a perennial (family Brassicaceae) that is relatively infrequent in California. Cardaria draba (hoary cress) and C. chalepensis grow in the many habitats and areas of the state, except in the Mojave and Colorado deserts. However, C. draba occurs in wet and dry grasslands, scrubs, and arid areas with alkali soils and is much more common than lens-podded whitetop. Cardaria draba establishes monospecific mats that exclude most or all other herbaceous vegetation. C. chalepensis forms dense infestations that crowd out forage plants in meadows and fields.

Cal-IPC Inventory rating:Moderate

Cal-IPC Resources on Cardaria chalepensis (=C. draba ssp. chalepensis)

• California Invasive Plant Inventory Assessment Form (pdf) - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.
• Species account from Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands - Includes biology and management information.
• Cal-IPC News - Articles from our quarterly newsletter. Each issue is available as a pdf. List of articles on Cardaria chalepensis.
• Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings - Presentations and papers from our annual Symposium. List of articles on Cardaria chalepensis.

Cal-IPC News Articles

• (1993). California Exotic Pest Plant Council draft list exotic plants of greatest concern October 1993. CalEPPC News. 1: 6.

Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings

• Clines, J. (2005). Preventing weed spread via contaminated hay and straw. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2005. Chico, CA.
• DiTomaso, J. M. (2005). Efficacy and safety of new herbicides on the horizon. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2005. Chico, CA.
• Gerlach, J. D. (1997). How the west was lost: Reconstructing the invasion dynamics of yellow star-thistle and other plant invaders of western rangelands and natural areas. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium '97. Concord, CA.

Other Resources on Cardaria chalepensis

• CalFlora - Distribution information by county based on submitted observations and herbarium specimens.
• Encycloweedia - Plants rated as noxious weeds by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
• The Nature Conservancy Management Summary - Information compiled by TNC land managers. Photos included for some species.

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