Flora of North America species comparison

The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Draba alpina

Draba zionensis

alpine Draba
Habit Perennials; (cespitose); caudex branched (covered with persistent leaves or leaf remains); scapose. Perennials; (cespitose); caudex branched (with persistent leaf bases, branches sometimes terminating in sterile rosettes); scapose.
Stems

unbranched, (0.3–)0.5–1.7(–2.8) dm, pubescent throughout, trichomes simple and 2-rayed, 0.3–0.8 mm, with 3–5-rayed ones, 0.1–0.3 mm.

unbranched, 0.5–1.5(–1.8) dm, usually sparsely pubescent proximally, usually glabrous distally, rarely throughout, trichomes simple, 0.3–0.8 mm, often with smaller, 2–4-rayed ones.
Basal leaves

rosulate; petiolate;

petiole base (not thickened), ciliate, (trichomes simple, 0.3–1 mm);

blade oblanceolate to obovate or lanceolate to oblong, 0.8–3(–4.5) cm × 2.5–6(–9) mm, margins entire, surfaces abaxially pubescent with stalked, 2–4-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.5 mm, with simple ones (midvein obscure, not thickened), adaxially glabrous or sparsely pubescent with simple and stalked, 2–4-rayed trichomes.

rosulate; shortly petiolate;

petiole base sometimes ciliate (margin not ciliate, trichomes simple and 2-rayed, 0.2–0.5 mm);

blade spatulate to obovate, 0.7–3.5 cm × 3–10(–12) mm, margins usually entire, rarely obscurely dentate (near apex), surfaces sparsely pubescent with stalked, (2–)4 (or 5)-rayed trichomes, 0.05–0.5 mm, (midvein obscure).
Cauline leaves

0.

0.
Racemes

6–18-flowered, ebracteate, considerably elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem.

14–36-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, glabrous.
Flowers

sepals (purplish tinged), narrowly ovate, 2.5–3 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and fewer, stalked, 2-rayed);

petals bright yellow, narrowly obovate, 3.5–5 × 1.7–2.5 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.3–0.4 mm.

sepals ovate, 2–3 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, (trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–4-rayed);

petals orange-yellow (fading pale yellow), broadly spatulate to subovate, 5–6 × 1.8–2.8 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.4–0.5 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

ascending to divaricate-ascending, straight or, sometimes, slightly curved upwards, 4–14(–30) mm, pubescent, trichomes simple and 2–4-rayed.

ascending to divaricate-ascending, straight, (not expanded basally), (4–)5–12(–15) mm, glabrous.
Fruits

elliptic, plane, flattened, 6–10 × 2–3 mm;

valves glabrous or glabrescent, trichomes simple, (not confined to replum);

ovules 12–24 per ovary;

style 0.2–0.3 mm (stigma about as wide as style).

lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or ovate, plane (not curved), flattened, 6–12(–17) × 2–3 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 12–20 per ovary;

style 0.4–1 mm.
Seeds

(pale brown), ovoid, 0.9–1.3 × 0.6–0.9 mm.

oblong, 1–1.3 × 0.6–0.8 mm.
2n

= 80.

= 26.

Draba alpina

Draba zionensis
Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Moist tundra and ridges, sand and gravel flats or beaches Sandstone (rarely limestone) rock outcrops and sandy slopes in pinyon-juniper or pine communities
Elevation 0-1000 m (0-3300 ft) 1000-2500 m (3300-8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
LB; MB; NU; ON; QC; Greenland; Europe (Finland, Norway, Russia, Sweden)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The synonymy above includes two North American names overlooked by C. L. Hitchcock (1941) and R. C. Rollins (1993). Draba alpina was broadly delimited by O. E. Schulz (1927) and included 17 varieties, some of which (e.g., corymbosa, oxycarpa, pilosa) are recognized herein as distinct species. The name D. alpina was so misapplied that it was used for any circumpolar or alpine, scapose, yellow-flowered, perennial Draba. Various chromosome numbers (e.g., 2n = 64, 80, 112, 120; S. I. Warwick and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2006) have been reported for the species. As circumscribed here, it has the narrow distribution outlined above and includes plants with 2n = 80. Reports of the species from Alaska, Canadian Northwest Territories and Yukon, Siberia, eastern Asia, Russian Far East, and the Central Asian republics are either suspect or very unlikely. The entire D. alpina complex (including the above three species, D. glacialis Adams, D. macounii, etc.) is in need of critical molecular, cytological, and morphological study.

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

R. C. Rollins (1993) treated Draba zionensis as a variety of D. asprella, but its true relationships appear to lie with two other southern Utah endemics, D. sobolifera and D. subalpina. Draba zionensis is easily distinguished from D. subalpina by having orange-yellow (versus white) petals, and from D. asprella and D. sobolifera by its glabrous (versus pubescent) pedicels and stems distally. Nearly all populations of the species are found in and around Zion National Park in southwestern Utah (Iron, Kane, and Washington counties). A specimen supposedly from the Deep Creek Mountains (Juab County) may be mislabeled.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 290. FNA vol. 7, p. 346.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba
Sibling taxa
D. abajoensis, D. albertina, D. aleutica, 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. 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
Synonyms D. alpina var. hydeana, D. alpina var. inflatisiliqua D. asprella var. zionensis
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 642. (1753) C. L. Hitchcock: Revis. Drabas W. N. Amer., 49, plate 2, fig. 16. (1941)
Web links 
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).



Type/paste one or more Latin names into the boxes above; matching taxa will show up below the box as you type. You can use the up/down arrow keys to move through the list.

(If the plant you're looking for doesn't show up in the auto-complete list, that means it either isn't described in Flora of North America yet, or it's listed under a synonym. And please note that Flora of North America is still missing several plant families, including Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Boraginaceae, and Polemoniaceae.)

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

The species comparison tool is brought to you by:
Northwest Wildflowers