Arabis georgiana |
Arabis alpina |
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Georgia rockcress |
alpine rockcress, arabis alpina |
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Habit | Biennials; sparsely to moderately hirsute (at least basally), trichomes simple, mixed with fewer, short-stalked, forked ones, subsessile cruciform or 3-rayed stellate trichomes commonly on abaxial blade surfaces, sometimes plants glabrous distally. | Perennials; (stoloniferous, with vegetative rosettes, loosely cespitose to somewhat pulvinate); sparsely to moderately pubescent, trichomes stalked, cruciform, stellate, mixed with simple and forked-stalked ones. |
Stems | simple or few from base (rosette), erect, unbranched or branched (few) distally, 3–7 dm, (hirsute basally, glabrous distally). |
usually simple from base, erect to ascending, often branched proximally, (0.6–)1–2(–2.5) dm. |
Basal leaves | petiole 0.5–2 cm, (ciliate or not); blade spatulate, oblanceolate, or obovate, 1.5–6 cm × 5–15 mm, margins dentate, apex obtuse or acute, abaxial surface moderately to sparsely pubescent, trichomes subsessile stellate, adaxial surface subglabrate or sparsely stellate. |
petiole 0–1 cm; blade spatulate, oblanceolate, oblong, or obovate, (0.4–)1–4(–5) cm × (3–)6–15(–20) mm, margins dentate to denticulate, apex obtuse or acute, surfaces usually pubescent, rarely subglabrate, trichomes stellate with simple rays. |
Cauline leaves | 7–26; blade oblong, lanceolate, or linear-lanceolate, 1.5–7 cm × 3–18 mm, base auriculate to subamplexicaul, margins dentate or entire, apex acute or obtuse, pubescent as basal leaves except distalmost leaves often glabrous. |
3–5(–6); blade oblong or ovate, 1–3 cm × 5–15 mm, base subcordate or auriculate, margins usually dentate, rarely subentire, apex acute or obtuse. |
Racemes | often simple. |
simple, (lax). |
Flowers | sepals oblong, 2.5–4.5 × 1–1.5 mm, lateral pair subsaccate basally; petals white, narrowly spatulate or oblanceolate, 6–9 × 1–1.5 mm, apex obtuse; filaments 3–4.5 mm; anthers oblong, 0.8–1 mm. |
sepals oblong, 2.5–4(–4.7) × 1–2 mm, lateral pair conspicuously saccate basally; petals white, spatulate to obovate, 5–8(–9) × 2–3.5 mm, apex obtuse; filaments 3–5 mm; anthers oblong, 0.7–1.2 mm. |
Fruiting pedicels | erect to erect-ascending, 7–16 mm, (glabrous). |
ascending to divaricate, 4–10(–12) mm. |
Fruits | erect to erect-ascending, (often subappressed to rachis), smooth, 4–7 cm × 0.7–0.8 mm; valves each with midvein extending full length or to middle; ovules 38–44 per ovary; style 0.7–1.8 mm. |
ascending to spreading, torulose, 1.7–3.5(–4) cm × 1–1.7 mm; valves each with midvein absent or obscure, along proximal 1/2; ovules 34–50 per ovary; style 0.3–0.6 mm. |
Seeds | narrowly winged throughout, oblong, 0.9–1.9 × 0.5–0.7 mm; wing to 0.1 mm wide distally. |
narrowly winged throughout, ovate, 1–1.4 × 0.9–1.1 mm; wing 0.1–0.2 mm wide. |
2n | = 16. |
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Arabis georgiana |
Arabis alpina |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–Apr. | Flowering Jun–Aug. |
Habitat | Stream banks, roadsides | Crevices of limestone rocks, along streams, calcareous alpine meadows, Salix scrub on slopes with scree |
Elevation | 0-200 m (0-700 ft) | 0-2400 m (0-7900 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; GA |
NY; WA; NL; NU; QC; Greenland; Europe; sw Asia; n Africa; tropical Africa
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Discussion | Of conservation concern. Arabis georgiana is most closely related to A. pycnocarpa, from which it is easily distinguished by having narrower fruits, longer petals, and subsessile cruciform or 3-rayed trichomes on abaxial surfaces of basal leaves. It is known only in Alabama from Bibb and Elmore counties and in Georgia from Stewart County. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Arabis alpina, the generic type, is variable. It is cultivated extensively for its attractive flowers, and it sometimes escapes from cultivation. There is disagreement as to whether one or more species should be recognized in this complex. European, some African, and most North American plants are recognized as A. alpina; most of the larger-flowered, southwestern Asian plants, which are most commonly cultivated, are recognized as A. caucasica or as A. alpina subsp. caucasica (Willdenow) Briquet. In my opinion, the morphological differences between the two (see key, couplet 3) support recognition of two species, as did R. C. Rollins (1993) and G. A. Mulligan (1996). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 261. | FNA vol. 7, p. 259. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | A. alpina var. glabrata | |
Name authority | R. M. Harper: Torreya 3: 88. (1903) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 664. (1753) |
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