''Leavenworthia stylosa'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The le ...

known by the common names cedar gladecress or long-styled gladecress. It is found only in the Central Basin of Tennessee, where it grows in cedar glades, ditches, and low-lying fields. ''Leavenworthia stylosa'' typically blooms from March to May. The flowers are about 1 inch wide and are white or yellow in color with a yellow center. The tips of the petals are notched. Yellow varieties are found more commonly north of

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, while white varieties are found more commonly south.

Habitat

As the common name suggests, ''Leavenworthia stylosa'' grows only in cedar glades and adjacent habitat.

Cedar glades A calcareous glade is a type of ecological community (ecology), community that is found in the central Eastern United States. Calcareous glade (geography), glades occur where bedrock such as limestone occurs near or at the surface, and have very ...

are sites in the central eastern United States where limestone lies on the surface resulting in an unusual ecosystem. Along with

Eastern red cedar ''Juniperus virginiana'', also known as red cedar, eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, and other local names, is a species of juniper native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico a ...

, for which the glades are named, ''Leavenworthia stylosa'' is one of the characteristic plants.

References

stylosa Flora of Tennessee Plants described in 1880 {{Brassicales-stub