Flora of North America species comparison

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Draba brachycarpa

short-pod whitlowgrass, shortfruit Draba, shortpod Draba
Habit Annuals; not scapose.
Stems

usually branched, rarely unbranched, (0.3–)0.4–1.9(–2.2) dm, pubescent throughout, trichomes sessile, cruciform, 0.2–0.6(–0.8) mm (rays often equal, or those parallel to stem axis longer).
Basal leaves

not rosulate; petiolate;

petiole (to 0.5 cm), not ciliate;

blade oblanceolate to obovate, 0.5–2 cm × 2–8 mm, margins entire, surfaces pubescent, trichomes cruciform, 0.2–0.6(–0.8) mm.
Cauline leaves

(4–)6–11;

sessile;

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

(main branch) (20–)25–65(–74)-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem.
Flowers

(late ones cleistogamous, apetalous);

sepals (green or pink), oblong, 0.7–1.2(–1.5) mm, pubescent;

petals white, spatulate, 2–3 × 0.8–1.1 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.15–0.25 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

horizontal to divaricate-ascending, straight, (1–)1.5–4(–5) mm, pubescent, trichomes cruciform.
Fruits

usually elliptic to linear-elliptic, rarely ovate-elliptic, plane, flattened, (2–)2.5–5(–6) × 0.9–1.4(–1.9) mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 8–16(–20) per ovary;

style 0.05–0.1 mm.
Seeds

(winged), ovoid, 0.5–0.7 × 0.4–0.5 mm.
2n

= 16.

Draba brachycarpa
Phenology Flowering Feb–May.
Habitat Open woods, cedar glades, pastures and lawns, roadsides, disturbed sites
Elevation 0-300 m (0-1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; OH; OK; OR; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Draba brachycarpa is closely related to D. aprica and the two are sometimes confused. It is readily distinguished by having leaves with sessile (versus stalked) trichomes, glabrous (versus pubescent) fruits, and smaller (0.5–0.7 versus 0.9–1.1 mm) seeds.

The records from Arizona and Oregon are based on old collections, Porter 802 (Devil’s Canyon, 22 Feb 1926, US) and Howell s.n. (near Cobarg, Willamette Valley, 7 Apr 1887, US); it is not known if these records represent introductions or remnants of a previously wider distribution.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 296.
Parent taxa 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. aureola, D. bifurcata, D. borealis, 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
Synonyms Abdra brachycarpa
Name authority Nuttall ex Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 108. (1838)
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).



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