Flora of North America species comparison

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Draba abajoensis

Draba glabella

golden Draba, rock whitlow-grass, smooth Draba, smooth whitlow-grass, smooth whitlow-mustard
Habit Perennials; caudex simple or branched, (sometimes with persistent leaf bases); not scapose. Perennials; (sometimes cespitose); caudex simple or branched; not scapose.
Stems

unbranched, (0.6–)1–2.5(–3.5) dm, pubescent proximally, usually glabrous distally, rarely sparsely pubescent, trichomes simple, 0.1–0.5 mm, often with stalked, 2(–4)-rayed ones.

branched or unbranched, (0.4–)1–3.5(–4.7) dm, often pubescent throughout (sometimes sparsely so distally), sometimes glabrous, trichomes simple and 2-rayed, (non-crisped), 0.2–1 mm, or subsessile, stellate-pectinate, and 3–8-rayed, 0.1–0.3 mm.
Basal leaves

rosulate;

petiolate;

petiole (0.2–1(–2) cm), proximal margin ciliate, (trichomes simple, 0.2–0.7 mm);

blade oblanceolate to spatulate, (0.6–)1–3.5(–4.3) cm × (2–)4–10(–14) mm, margins entire or dentate, surfaces pubescent with short-stalked, (2–)4-rayed trichomes, 0.05–0.35 mm, sometimes adaxially with simple ones.

rosulate;

petiolate;

petiole ciliate, (trichomes simple, 0.1–0.8 mm);

blade oblanceolate to spatulate or linear-oblanceolate, (0.6–)1–3.5(–5) cm × 2–8(–10) mm, margins dentate or denticulate, (pubescent as petiole), surfaces pubescent with non-crisped, minutely stalked, 4–8(–12)-rayed, stellate-pectinate trichomes, 0.15–0.6 mm, (midvein obscure abaxially), adaxially sometimes also with simple trichomes, or glabrous.
Cauline leaves

(3–)5–9(–11);

sessile;

blade broadly ovate to lanceolate or oblong, margins entire or dentate, surfaces pubescent as basal or adaxially also with mostly simple trichomes.

2–17(–25);

sessile;

blade ovate to oblong, margins dentate to subentire, surfaces often pubescent as basal, or predominantly with simple trichomes adaxially.
Racemes

(11–)15–32(–47)-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, glabrous or pubescent, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–4-rayed.

(5–)8–26(–34)-flowered, ebracteate or proximalmost 1 or 2 flowers bracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent as stem.
Flowers

sepals ovate-oblong, 2.2–3.5 mm, subapically sparsely pubescent, (trichomes simple, short-stalked, and 2-rayed);

petals yellow, oblanceolate, 4–6 × 1.5–2 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.6–1 mm.

sepals oblong, 2–3.5 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–4-rayed);

petals white, broadly obovate, 4–5.5 × 1.5–3 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.3–0.5 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

horizontal to divaricate-ascending, straight or curved, (5–)7–18(–23) mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent abaxially, trichomes simple and 2-rayed.

divaricate-ascending to suberect, straight, (1–)3–10(–16) mm, glabrous or pubescent as stem.
Fruits

elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, plane, flattened, 5–9(–12) × 2–3 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 10–18 per ovary;

style (0.8–)1.4–2.7(–3.6) mm.

oblong to ovate or ovoid to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, usually plane, rarely slightly twisted, flattened or inflated, (3–)5–12(–16) × 2–3.5 mm;

valves glabrous or pubescent, trichomes simple or 2–4-rayed, 0.05–0.2(–0.4) mm;

ovules (20–)24–36 per ovary;

style 0.05–0.2(–0.5) mm.
Seeds

ovoid, 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm.

oblong, 0.9–1.1 × 0.5–0.7 mm.
2n

= 20.

= 64, 80.

Draba abajoensis

Draba glabella
Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Spruce, fir, or pine forests, subalpine meadows Rock outcrops, talus, rocky ridges and knolls, meadows, tundra, gravelly beaches sandy river margins, disturbed soils
Elevation 1900-3800 m (6200-12500 ft) 0-1400 m (0-4600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; UT
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; ME; VT; WI; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; QC; YT; Greenland; n Europe (n Russia); e Asia (Russian Far East, Siberia)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants of Draba abajoensis were treated by C. L. Hitchcock (1941), R. C. Rollins (1993), and N. H. Holmgren (2005b) as D. spectabilis. The differences between these taxa in chromosome number and trichome morphology strongly support their recognition as separate species (I. A. Al-Shehbaz and M. D. Windham 2007). Draba abajoensis has been collected from the Chuska and Lukachukai mountains in Apache County, Arizona, Chuska Mountains in San Juan County, New Mexico, and Abajo and La Sal mountains in San Juan and Grand counties, Utah.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Draba glabella was reported by J. V. Freudenstein and J. K. Marr (1986) from Michigan, but that record likely was based on plants of D. arabisans, a highly variable species that occurs in that state.

Draba glabella is extremely variable in indumentum, number of cauline leaves, fruiting pedicel length, fruit shape and size, style length, and seed number. M. L. Fernald (1934) divided it into five species and three varieties; R. C. Rollins (1993) recognized three species. Of these, G. A. Mulligan (1970, 1976) reduced D. laurentiana to synonymy of D. glabella and treated D. pycnosperma as a variety. Of all the segregates of D. glabella, var. pycnosperma might merit recognition. It is restricted to northwestern Newfoundland and northeastern Quebec, where var. glabella also grows. The main difference between the two varieties is the presence in var. pycnosperma of plump (versus flattened), ovoid to oblong fruits. Draba sornborgeri, recognized by Rollins as a distinct species, is merely a glabrescent form of D. glabella. Because of the tremendous morphological variability, wide distribution, extensive synonymy, and different chromosome numbers, D. glabella will require extensive molecular, cytological, and morphological studies to properly delimit the species and any potential infraspecific taxa.

Some forms of Draba glabella approach both D. borealis and D. praealta, but these can be distinguished by examining the trichomes on the abaxial surfaces of basal leaf blades. In D. glabella, these trichomes are minutely stalked or subsessile and have branched rays. In the other two species, the trichomes have long stalks and the rays are always unbranched.

The Linnaean name Draba hirta was applied to this species previously, and still is in Russia. The name is not typified, and the material at LINN is in bad condition and probably belongs to two species, D. glabella and D. norvegica, as recognized here. A typification of D. hirta may necessitate its re-introduction for this species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 288. FNA vol. 7, p. 307.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba
Sibling taxa
D. albertina, D. aleutica, D. alpina, D. aprica, D. arabisans, D. arctica, D. arctogena, D. argyrea, D. arida, D. asprella, D. asterophora, D. aurea, D. aureola, D. bifurcata, D. borealis, D. brachycarpa, D. brachystylis, D. breweri, D. burkei, D. californica, D. cana, D. carnosula, D. chamissonis, D. cinerea, D. corrugata, D. corymbosa, D. crassa, D. crassifolia, D. cruciata, D. cuneifolia, D. cusickii, D. cyclomorpha, D. daviesiae, D. densifolia, D. exunguiculata, D. fladnizensis, D. glabella, D. globosa, D. graminea, D. grandis, D. grayana, D. heilii, D. helleriana, D. hitchcockii, D. howellii, D. incana, D. incerta, D. incrassata, D. inexpectata, D. jaegeri, D. juvenilis, D. kassii, D. kluanei, D. lactea, D. lemmonii, D. lonchocarpa, D. longisquamosa, D. macounii, D. maguirei, D. malpighiacea, D. micropetala, D. mogollonica, D. monoensis, D. mulliganii, D. murrayi, D. nemorosa, D. nivalis, D. norvegica, D. novolympica, D. oblongata, D. ogilviensis, D. oligosperma, D. oreibata, D. oxycarpa, D. palanderiana, D. pauciflora, D. paucifructa, D. paysonii, D. pectinipila, D. pedicellata, D. pennellii, D. petrophila, D. pilosa, D. platycarpa, D. porsildii, D. praealta, D. pterosperma, D. ramosissima, D. ramulosa, D. rectifructa, D. reptans, D. ruaxes, D. santaquinensis, D. saxosa, D. scotteri, D. serpentina, D. sharsmithii, D. sibirica, D. sierrae, D. simmonsii, D. smithii, D. sobolifera, D. spectabilis, D. sphaerocarpa, D. sphaeroides, D. standleyi, D. stenoloba, D. stenopetala, D. streptobrachia, D. streptocarpa, D. subalpina, D. subcapitata, D. subumbellata, D. trichocarpa, D. ventosa, D. verna, D. viridis, D. weberi, D. yukonensis, D. zionensis
D. abajoensis, D. albertina, D. aleutica, D. alpina, D. aprica, D. arabisans, D. arctica, D. arctogena, D. argyrea, D. arida, D. asprella, D. asterophora, D. aurea, D. aureola, D. bifurcata, D. borealis, D. brachycarpa, D. brachystylis, D. breweri, D. burkei, D. californica, D. cana, D. carnosula, D. chamissonis, D. cinerea, D. corrugata, D. corymbosa, D. crassa, D. crassifolia, D. cruciata, D. cuneifolia, D. cusickii, D. cyclomorpha, D. daviesiae, D. densifolia, D. exunguiculata, D. fladnizensis, D. globosa, D. graminea, D. grandis, D. grayana, D. heilii, D. helleriana, D. hitchcockii, D. howellii, D. incana, D. incerta, D. incrassata, D. inexpectata, D. jaegeri, D. juvenilis, D. kassii, D. kluanei, D. lactea, D. lemmonii, D. lonchocarpa, D. longisquamosa, D. macounii, D. maguirei, D. malpighiacea, D. micropetala, D. mogollonica, D. monoensis, D. mulliganii, D. murrayi, D. nemorosa, D. nivalis, D. norvegica, D. novolympica, D. oblongata, D. ogilviensis, D. oligosperma, D. oreibata, D. oxycarpa, D. palanderiana, D. pauciflora, D. paucifructa, D. paysonii, D. pectinipila, D. pedicellata, D. pennellii, D. petrophila, D. pilosa, D. platycarpa, D. porsildii, D. praealta, D. pterosperma, D. ramosissima, D. ramulosa, D. rectifructa, D. reptans, D. ruaxes, D. santaquinensis, D. saxosa, D. scotteri, D. serpentina, D. sharsmithii, D. sibirica, D. sierrae, D. simmonsii, D. smithii, D. sobolifera, D. spectabilis, D. sphaerocarpa, D. sphaeroides, D. standleyi, D. stenoloba, D. stenopetala, D. streptobrachia, D. streptocarpa, D. subalpina, D. subcapitata, D. subumbellata, D. trichocarpa, D. ventosa, D. verna, D. viridis, D. weberi, D. yukonensis, D. zionensis
Synonyms D. spectabilis var. glabrescens D. arabisans var. canadensis, D. arabisans var. orthocarpa, D. canadensis, D. canadensis var. pycnosperma, D. daurica, D. glabella var. megasperma, D. glabella var. orthocarpa, D. glabella var. pycnosperma, D. henneana, D. hirta var. laurentiana, D. hirta var. pycnosperma, D. laurentiana, D. megasperma, D. norvegica var. pleiophylla, D. pycnosperma, D. sornborgeri
Name authority Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 12: 416. (2007) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 434. (1813)
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Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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