Family: Brassicaceae

This is a cool season annual with unusual flowers that are formed of four sepals, wider at the base and fused, to create a bell-shaped calyx almost like an urn. The foliage is almost dandelion like—for many resembling many wild weeds until the plant blooms. Flowers are most often white with burgandy sepal tips as guides into the flowers. But they sometimes appear yellow or even almost red.

Plant in full sun to even bright shady spots. Plant from seed or plant from as early as September or October until as late as March. Keep plants well-watered. They will bloom in spring and plants will last until it gets hot or if the soil dries out. Plants will reseed and re-emerge in moist locations in the yard the following fall.

The flowers are very important nectar sources in our region, particularly because of the timing of their blooming. Additionally this species is the larval host plant for several butterflies species (orange tips, whites, marbles) and is especially important to the the sara orangetip butterfly (Anthocharis sara) and the sara orangetip butterfly (Anthocharis cethura) which arrive in spring to lay its eggs.