Draba aurea |
Draba subumbellata |
|
---|---|---|
golden Draba, golden Draba whitlow-grass, golden whitlow-grass, twisted-pod Draba |
mound Draba, parasol Draba |
|
Habit | Perennials; (not cespitose); caudex simple or branched; not scapose. | Perennials; (cespitose, densely pulvinate); caudex branched (densely covered with persistent leaves and remains, branches tightly grouped, 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, (0.05–)0.1–0.25 dm, densely pubescent throughout, trichomes (grayish), stalked, dendritic, 5–12-rayed, 0.1–0.25 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 obovate to broadly oblong, 0.2–0.4 cm × 0.6–1.5 mm, margins entire, (not ciliate), surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes (grayish), stalked, dendritic, 5–12-rayed, 0.1–0.3 mm, (sometimes with long-stalked and spurred trichomes adaxially). |
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. |
2–5(–10)-flowered, ebracteate, subumbellate or slightly elongated in fruit; rachis not flexuous, pubescent 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 broadly oblong, 1.8–2.8 mm, pubescent, (trichomes dendritic); petals yellow, spatulate, 2.8–4 × 1–1.5 mm; anthers ovate, 0.3–0.4 mm. |
Fruiting pedicels | divaricate-ascending to ascending or suberect, straight, 3–13(–20) mm, pubescent as stem. |
divaricate-ascending, straight, 1.5–3(–6) mm, glabrous or pubescent 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. |
ovoid to ovoid-lanceolate, plane, inflated and sometimes subgibbous basally, flattened distally, 2–5 × 2–3 mm; valves pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, dendritic, 4–12-rayed, (sometimes spurred), 0.05–0.2 mm; ovules 6–12 per ovary; style 0.2–0.6 mm. |
Seeds | oblong, 0.9–1.3 × 0.5–0.7 mm. |
oblong, 1–1.2 × 0.5–0.7 mm. |
2n | = 74. |
|
Draba aurea |
Draba subumbellata |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jun–Aug. | Flowering Jul–Aug. |
Habitat | Rock outcrops, talus, damp gullies and meadows, subalpine conifer woodlands, alpine slopes and turf, tundra, road banks, river gravel | Wind-eroded areas, alpine fellfields, rock crevices |
Elevation | (0-)700-4200 m ((0-)2300-13800 ft) | 3300-4100 m (10800-13500 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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CA; NV |
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 subumbellata is similar to, and sympatric with, D. oligosperma. It is distinguished from the latter by having stalked, stellate to dendritic leaf trichomes, subumbellate racemes, fruiting pedicels 1.5–3.0(–6.0) mm, fruits pubescent with mostly 4–12-rayed trichomes, and well-formed anthers and pollen. By contrast, D. oligosperma has sessile or subsessile, pectinately-branched leaf trichomes, elongated racemes, fruiting pedicels (2–)3–10(–13) mm, fruits glabrous or pubescent with simple and 2-rayed trichomes, and abortive anthers and/or pollen. Draba subumbellata is restricted to the White Mountains (Esmeralda County, Nevada, and Mono County, California) and to Coyote Ridge in the Sierra Nevada (Inyo County, California). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 294. | FNA vol. 7, p. 343. |
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 & R. A. Price: Aliso 12: 25, figs. 1k–n, 4. (1988) |
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