Semi-desert.  Shrublands, woodlands, openings. Spring. 
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, March 27, 2005.

Tiny can be terrific.  Early spring finds carpets of Draba cuneifolia, especially around the base of Pinyons and Junipers, in the semi-desert country of the Four Corners.   Draba cuneifolia is easily confused with Noccaea montana but a close look shows clear differences: notice especially D. cuneifolia's wedge-shaped basal leaves, leafless stalk, shorter height, and elliptical seed pods.

The Draba genus was named by Linnaeus in 1753 and Draba cuneifolia was named by Thomas Nuttall in 1838 from a specimen collected in Kentucky by Professor C. W. Short.  (Professor Short was honored by William Jackson Hooker as one of the two best botanical collectors from whom he had received specimens.  See the fifth paragraph in the biographical entry about David Townsend), the other collector honored by Hooker).  

"Draba", Greek for "acrid", was a name applied to similar Mustards known to the Greeks thousands of years ago, and "cune" is Latin for "wedge", referring to the leaf shape.

Semi-desert.  Shrublands, woodlands, openings. Spring.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, March 27, 2007.

As the above picture shows, basal leaves glisten as if they were glabrous (smooth), but as the picture at left shows, they glisten because of the bright reflection of light by thousands of tiny stellate (starburst like) hairs.  You can see the stellate shape of the hairs at the edge of the leaves at upper and lower right.

Semi-desert.  Shrublands, woodlands, openings. Spring.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, March 27, 2005.

Below a fluff of white flowers, green seeds emerge.

Semi-desert.  Shrublands, woodlands, openings. Spring.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, May 8, 2007.

Draba reptans is very similar to Draba cuneifolia in size, flower appearance, and habitat but its basal leaves have longer hairs and no thumb-like projection.  The nearly vertical posture of the longer and narrower seed pods is the most eye-catching distinguishing characteristic.