Noccaea fendleri

Noccaea fendleri is a small perennial plant. They range in size from just 1 centimeter to as much as 45 centimeters in height, but are most often 4–32 centimeters tall. Very often it will grow as a clump of plants, but may also be a single rosette. Plants have more basal leaves, ones that grow directly from the base of the plant, than ones on their stems. Leaves are dark green in color and have smooth edges, They have a range of possible shapes including teardrop shaped (obovate), heart shaped attached at the tip (obcordate), triangular with nearly equal sides (obdeltate), and round with a point (elliptic). The seeds are egg shaped, brown in color, and 1.1–2 millimeters long. ==Taxonomy==

Noccaea fendleri has a long and complicated taxonomic history. The autonymic name of one of its subspecies, Noccaea fendleri subsp. fendleri, was described and named Iberis badensis by Carl Linnaeus in 1755. and the Flora of North America. Noccaea fendleri subsp. fendleri The autonymic subspecies has 4–6 seeds in each fruit, like subspecies glauca. It has longer petals, typically 6.5-11 millimeters and its racemes are usually compact. It is the most widespread and common of the five subspecies. Noccaea fendleri subsp. idahoense This subspecies has narrower leaves than others, grass like (linear) or like a narrow spear head (narrowly oblanceolate). It is also known by the common name "Idaho candytuft". Noccaea fendleri subsp. siskiyouense This subspecies has 2–4 seeds in each fruit and leaf stems that are much longer than the basal leaves, usually two or three times longer, but sometimes as much as four times longer. It is only found in Curry, Douglas, and Josephine counties in south west Oregon. ==Range and habitat==

Noccaea fendleri is native to western North America from Washington state and Montana in the US to Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora in northern Mexico. It grows in alpine and montane ecosystems and prefers rocky slopes and forest openings. The most common of its subspecies, glauca, can be found at elevations of 300–4400 meters. ==Cultivation==

Wild candytuft is used in native plant gardens for its butterfly attracting white flowers. They are winter hardy in USDA zones 2–8 and are adaptable to many soil types. They also will grow in full sun or shade. They tolerate drought conditions by going dormant. ==References==