Braya humilis subsp. humilis
Braya humilis subsp. maccallae
dwarf braya
dwarf braya, maccall's dwarf braya, mccalla's dwarf braya
ascending to erect, branched or unbranched, 0.4–3.3 dm, sparsely to moderately pubescent.
ascending to erect, often unbranched, 0.4–2.3 dm, moderately pubescent.
blade margins sinuate-dentate, shallowly pinnatifid, or entire, surfaces moderately pubescent.
blade margins entire or, sometimes, sinuate-dentate, surfaces glabrescent to moderately pubescent.
petals white, pink, or purple, 2.5–6.9(–7.5) × (0.7–)0.9–4(–4.2) mm.
petals white, (4.4–)4.9–6.7(–7.2) × (2.1–)2.3–4(–4.2) mm.
usually fertile and fully developed, somewhat torulose, 0.6–1.2(–1.3) mm wide;
septum not fenestrate or split longitudinally.
often abortive, somewhat torulose, 0.7–1.2 mm wide when fully developed;
septum not fenestrate or split longitudinally.
= 28, 42, 56, 70.
= 28.
Braya humilis subsp. humilis
Braya humilis subsp. maccallae
Subspecies humilis is extremely variable morphologically. In a general way, morphological form correlates with ploidy level, e.g., tetraploids, octoploids, and decaploids tend to be short in stature with small leaves. Hexaploids are less predictable. They range from short plants with small leaves to large, robust, multi-branched plants with large, pinnatifid leaves. Attempting to segregate most morphological forms of Braya humilis into logical infraspecific taxa is an exercise in futility. Populations that appear distinctive in the field almost always blur imperceptibly into the larger subsp. humilis continuum when compared with other populations from across the range of distribution. Subspecies humilis is broadly distributed on calcareous substrates in arctic, subarctic, alpine, and boreal regions of North America and Asia.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Subspecies maccallae differs from subspp. elesmerensis and humilis in having leaf margins mostly entire, flowers exceptionally large, and a high percentage of abortive fruit. Cauline leaves are much reduced and arise from the base of the stem, giving an almost acaulescent appearance to the plant. Breeding studies (J. G. Harris 1985) indicate that subspp. maccallae and porsildii are self-incompatible, while most subspecies of Braya humilis are strongly autogamous.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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