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alpine whitlow-grass, golden alpine Draba, golden Draba, great alpine whitlow-grass, Mt. Lassen Draba, Mt. Lassen Draba whitlow-grass, Mt. Lassen whitlow-grass

Alaska Draba, Alaska whitlow-grass

Habit Perennials; (short-lived); caudex simple or branched (poorly developed, with persistent dry leaves); not scapose. Biennials or perennials; (short-lived, not cespitose); caudex simple (not fleshy); scapose.
Stems

unbranched or branched, 0.3–1.5 dm, hirsute throughout, trichomes simple and long-stalked, 2–4-rayed, 0.2–1.5 mm.

often unbranched, (0.2–)0.4–3(–3.4) dm, pubescent proximally, usually glabrous distally, rarely sparsely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 2–4-rayed, 0.1–0.4(–0.5) mm.

Basal leaves

(forming dense clusters); rosulate;

sessile;

blade oblanceolate to linear, (0.7–)1–2.5(–3.2) cm × 2–3.5(–5) mm, margins entire, (ciliate, trichomes simple and 2-rayed, 0.5–1.5 mm), surfaces densely hirsute, abaxially with stalked, 3–5-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.5 mm, adaxially with simple and long-stalked, 2-rayed trichomes, to 1 mm, with smaller, 3–5-rayed ones.

rosulate;

petiole (obscure), margin ciliate, (trichomes simple, 0.2–0.4 mm);

blade oblanceolate to obovate, 0.4–2.6(–3.1) cm × 1.5–7(–10) mm, margins entire or denticulate, (ciliate as petiole), surfaces pubescent, abaxially with short-stalked, 3- or 4-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.5 mm, adaxially with simple and stalked, 2–4-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.5 mm.

Cauline leaves

5–33;

sessile;

blade oblong to linear, margins entire, surfaces pubescent as basal.

(0 or) 1 or 2 (3 or 4);

sessile;

blade elliptic to lanceolate or ovate, margins toothed, surfaces pubescent, abaxially with short-stalked 3- or 4-rayed trichomes, adaxially with simple and short-stalked, 2–4-rayed trichomes.

Racemes

12–83-flowered, ebracteate or proximalmost 1–9 flowers bracteate, slightly or not elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, hirsute as stem.

(2–)4–10(–15)-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pubescent.

Flowers

sepals ovate, 2.5–4 mm, glabrous;

petals bright yellow, linear to linear-oblanceolate, 4–6 × 0.5–1(–1.2) mm;

anthers narrowly oblong, 0.8–1 mm.

(chasmogamous, petaliferous);

sepals (green or purplish), oblong, 1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous or pubescent, (trichomes simple);

petals yellow, oblanceolate, 2.5–3.5 × 0.6–1 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.25–0.4 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

horizontal to divaricate, usually straight, rarely curved upward, (3–)5–12(–19) mm, hirsute as stem.

horizontal to divaricate-ascending, straight, 3–14(–19) mm (subequaling or shorter than fruit), usually glabrous, rarely pubescent, trichomes 2–4-rayed.

Fruits

oblong or, rarely, oblong-ovate, plane, flattened, (6–)9–14(–16) × 3–5 mm;

valves pubescent, trichomes stalked, 2–4-rayed, 0.07–0.5 mm;

ovules 10–20 per ovary;

style (0.6–)1–1.6(–2) mm.

linear or, rarely, linear-elliptic, plane, flattened, (8–)10–17(–20) × 1.5–2 mm;

valves usually glabrous, rarely sparsely puberulent, trichomes simple;

ovules 24–36 per ovary;

style 0.01–0.15 mm.

Seeds

oblong, 1.4–1.9 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

ovoid, 0.9–1 × 0.5–0.6 mm.

2n

= 20.

= 40.

Draba aureola

Draba stenoloba

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Open conifer forests, alpine meadows and moraines, talus slopes Grassy knolls, glacial moraines and creek banks, mesic meadows, alpine thickets
Elevation 2200-3200 m (7200-10500 ft) 600-2300 m (2000-7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; OR; WA; AB; BC; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Draba aureola is known from Lassen, Shasta, and Siskiyou counties in California, Deschutes County in Oregon, and Lewis and Pierce counties in Washington.

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

Draba stenoloba is occasionally confused with D. albertina, but is easily recognized by having exclusively 2–4-rayed (versus mostly simple) trichomes on stems proximally. It is rarely encountered and apparently confined to the Pacific Northwest. In contrast, D. albertina is common and widespread in the mountains of western North America.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 295. FNA vol. 7, p. 340.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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. aureola var. paniculata D. acinacis, D. hirta var. siliquosa, D. macouniana, D. nemorosa var. stenoloba, D. nitida var. praelonga, D. oligantha, D. stenoloba var. oligantha
Name authority S. Watson: in W. H. Brewer et al., Bot. California 2: 430. (1880) Ledebour: Fl. Ross. 1: 154. (1841)
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