Erophila minima, Smallest whitlowgrass, Spring Whitlowgrass,
אביבית זעירה

Scientific name:		Erophila minima C.A.Meyer
Scientific name:		Draba minima Steud.
Common name:		Smallest whitlowgrass, Spring Whitlowgrass
Hebrew name:		אביבית זעירה
Plant Family:		Cruciferae / Brassicaceae, מצליבים

Life form:		Therophyte, annual
Stems:		5-13 cm tall
Leaves:		Alternate, rosette, entire, linear dentate or serrate
Inflorescence:		Raceme
Flowers:		White
Fruits / pods:		Egg-shaped
Flowering Period:		January, February, March, December
Habitat:		Batha, Phrygana, Shrub-steppes, Desert, Hard rock outcrops
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:		Med - Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

Derivation of the botanical name: Erophila, er, spring, phileo, I love; spring flower. minima, smallest. Draba, from the Greek drabe, sharp or acrid and refers to the burning taste of the leaves. The Hebrew name: אביבית, avivit, from אביב, aviv, spring. The standard author abbreviation C.A.Meyer is used to indicate Carl Anton von Meyer (1795 – 1855), a Russian botanist and explorer. The standard author abbreviation Steud. is used to indicate Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel (1783 – 1856), a German physician and an authority on grasses. Lower Galilee, Manof (מנוף) Lower Galilee, Manof (מנוף)