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short-pod whitlowgrass, shortfruit Draba, shortpod Draba

Habit Annuals; not scapose. Perennials; caudex simple or branched (sometimes with persistent leaf bases); 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).

unbranched, 0.5–1.5 dm, pubescent throughout, trichomes malpighiaceous, 0.2–0.5 mm, and sometimes simple.

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.

rosulate; petiolate;

petiole not ciliate;

blade oblanceolate to spatulate, 0.5–1.8 cm × 2–4 mm, margins entire or dentate, (not ciliate proximally), surfaces pubescent with malpighiaceous trichomes, 0.3–0.6 mm.

Cauline leaves

(4–)6–11;

sessile;

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

4–13;

sessile;

blade broadly ovate to lanceolate, margins denticulate, surfaces pubescent as basal.

Racemes

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

rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem.

10–33-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, glabrous or pubescent, trichomes simple and/or malpighiaceous.

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.

sepals ovate, 2.5–3 mm, subapically pubescent, (trichomes simple and malpighiaceous);

petals yellow, oblanceolate, 4–5 × 1.5–2 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.7–1 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

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

divaricate-ascending, straight or curved upward, 6–13 mm, pubescent abaxially, trichomes simple and/or malpighiaceous.

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.

elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, plane, flattened, 5–10 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 14–18 per ovary;

style 0.8–1.2 mm.

Seeds

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

ovoid, 1–1.4 × 0.7–0.9 mm.

2n

= 16.

Draba brachycarpa

Draba malpighiacea

Phenology Flowering Feb–May. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Open woods, cedar glades, pastures and lawns, roadsides, disturbed sites Rock outcrops and rocky slopes in subalpine conifer forests
Elevation 0-300 m (0-1000 ft) 3000-3500 m (9800-11500 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]
from FNA
CO
[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.)

Draba malpighiacea, which is restricted to higher elevations in Hinsdale, La Plata, and Montezuma counties, has been included within D. spectabilis by previous authors. Preliminary data suggest that it is one of the diploid parents of tetraploid D. spectabilis. It is readily distinguished from all species of Draba in Canada and the United States by having a leaf indumentum of exclusively malpighiaceous trichomes. The only other species in the flora area with such trichomes is D. sibirica, a stoloniferous, scapose perennial known only from Greenland.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 296. FNA vol. 7, p. 318.
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. 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
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. 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) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 12: 417. (2007)
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