Draba aurea |
Draba hitchcockii |
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golden Draba, golden Draba whitlow-grass, golden whitlow-grass, twisted-pod Draba |
lost river Draba |
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Habit | Perennials; (not cespitose); caudex simple or branched; not scapose. | Perennials; (densely cespitose); caudex branched (densely covered with persistent leaves, branches sometimes terminating in sterile rosettes); scapose. |
Stems | sometimes branched distally, (0.5–) 1–3.5(–5.2) dm, pubescent throughout, trichomes simple (non-crisped), 0.4–1.3 mm, and 3–6-rayed ones, 0.1–0.5 mm. |
unbranched, (0.1–)0.3–1(–1.3) dm, hirsute throughout, trichomes simple, 0.4–1 mm, and 2–4-rayed, 0.1–0.6 mm. |
Basal leaves | rosulate; petiolate; petiole (distinct or obscure) ciliate, (trichomes simple, to 0.8 mm); blade oblanceolate to obovate, (0.4–)1–3.7(–5) cm × (1–)2–7(–10) mm, margins entire or denticulate, surfaces pubescent, trichomes stalked, (2–)4–7 (or 8)-rayed, 0.2–0.5(–0.6) mm. |
(densely imbricate); rosulate; sessile; blade narrowly oblanceolate to oblong-linear, 0.3–1.2(–1.5) cm × 1–2 mm, margins entire, (ciliate, trichomes simple, 0.3–1.2 mm), surfaces pubescent abaxially with stalked, 2–4-rayed trichomes, 0.08–0.45 mm, (midvein obscure), adaxially glabrous proximally, sparsely pubescent distally with mostly simple trichomes. |
Cauline leaves | 5–20(–26); sessile; blade oblong to lanceolate or ovate, margins entire or dentate, surfaces pubescent as basal, sometimes adaxially with simple trichomes. |
0. |
Racemes | (10–)18–52(–72)-flowered, usually bracteate on proximalmost 1–12(–17) flowers, rarely ebracteate, elongated in fruit; rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem. |
4–15-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit; rachis not flexuous, hirsute as stem. |
Flowers | sepals (green or yellowish), oblong, 2.2–3 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and branched); petals yellow, oblanceolate, 3.5–5 × 1.5–2.5 mm; anthers ovate, 0.4–0.5 mm. |
sepals oblong, 2.5–3.5 mm, hirsute, (trichomes simple and stalked, 2–4-rayed); petals white, obovate, 5–6.5 × 2–3.5 mm; anthers ovate, 0.5–0.6 mm. |
Fruiting pedicels | divaricate-ascending to ascending or suberect, straight, 3–13(–20) mm, pubescent as stem. |
ascending, straight, (2–)4–13(–18) mm, hirsute as stem. |
Fruits | (often subappressed to rachis), lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or narrowly oblong, slightly twisted or plane, flattened, (6–)9–14(–17) × 2–3.5 mm; valves pubescent, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–4-rayed, 0.05–0.3 mm; ovules 28–38(–44) per ovary; style 0.5–1.2(–1.5) mm. |
ovate to broadly oblong or elliptic, plane, flattened, (3–)4–7(–10) × (2.5–)3.5–5 mm; valves pubescent, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2(–4)-rayed, 0.06–0.5 mm; ovules 8–12 per ovary; style (0.8–)1–1.7(–2) mm. |
Seeds | oblong, 0.9–1.3 × 0.5–0.7 mm. |
oblong, 1.4–1.8 × 0.8–1 mm. |
2n | = 74. |
= 54. |
Draba aurea |
Draba hitchcockii |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jun–Aug. | Flowering May–Jun. |
Habitat | Rock outcrops, talus, damp gullies and meadows, subalpine conifer woodlands, alpine slopes and turf, tundra, road banks, river gravel | Limestone outcrops and gravelly soil |
Elevation | (0-)700-4200 m ((0-)2300-13800 ft) | 1800-2200 m (5900-7200 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; NF; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT; Greenland
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ID |
Discussion | Draba aurea is extremely variable in plant size, number of cauline leaves, number of bracteate flowers, style length, and fruit size, shape, orientation, twisting, and indumentum. Much of the variation in the number of bracts, style length, fruit twisting, and growth habit occurs in Greenland, where the type specimen was collected and where the species is found near sea level. The highly deviant chromosome counts (e.g., 2n = 40 + 1, 64, 82) listed by R. C. Rollins (1993) and S. I. Warwick and I. A. Al-Shehbaz (2006) are mostly unvouchered and have to be disregarded; counts of 2n = ca. 80 have been re-assigned to Draba glabella. Published (G. A. Mulligan 2002) and unpublished counts made by Mulligan and M. D. Windham from Alaska, British Columbia, Colorado, Quebec, Utah, and Yukon indicate that the most common chromosome number of D. aurea is 2n = 74 (or 72). This suggests that the species is an allopolyploid (hexaploid or higher), incorporating genomes from both euploid and aneuploid lineages (M. A. Beilstein and Windham 2003). Detailed cytological and molecular studies are much needed to fully understand this widely distributed and highly variable species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Draba hitchcockii is known from the Lost River Range in Butte and Custer counties. Based on morphological and chromosomal evidence, M. D. Windham (2004) suggested that it may be an allopolyploid resulting from hybridization between D. oreibata and D. paysonii. Draba hitchcockii is superficially similar to D. jaegeri, a taxon known from the Charleston Mountains of Clark County, Nevada. Both are cespitose perennials with relatively large, white flowers and a chromosome number (2n = 54) otherwise unknown in Draba (Windham). Features distinguishing these two taxa are provided in the discussion of 51. D. jaegeri. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 294. | FNA vol. 7, p. 311. |
Parent taxa | Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba | Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | D. aurea var. aureiformis, D. aurea var. leiocarpa, D. aurea var. luteola, D. aureiformis, D. aureiformis var. leiocarpa, D. bakeri, D. decumbens, D. henneana var. maccallae, D. luteola, D. luteola var. minganensis, D. maccallae, D. minganensis, D. surculifera, D. uber | |
Name authority | Vahl ex Hornemann: Fors. Oecon. Plantel. ed. 2, 599. (1806) | Rollins: J. Arnold Arbor. 64: 500. (1983) |
Web links |