Flora of North America species comparison

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Draba cana

Draba burkei

Brewer's Draba, canescent Draba, canescent whitlow-mustard, cushion Draba, hoary Draba, hoary whitlow-grass, lance-leaf Draba, lance-leaf whitlow-grass

snowbasin Draba
Habit Perennials; caudex simple or branched (branches short); not scapose. Perennials; (cespitose, forming loose mats); caudex branched (with persistent leaves, branches sometimes terminating in sterile rosettes); scapose.
Stems

unbranched or branched distally, (0.6–)1–3(–3.8) dm, pubescent throughout, trichomes simple, 0.5–1mm, with 4–10-rayed ones, 0.05–0.2 mm (mostly branched on basal parts).

unbranched, 0.3–0.6(–0.9) dm, glabrous.
Basal leaves

rosulate; petiolate;

petiole ciliate throughout;

blade linear to oblanceolate or oblong, (0.5–)0.8–2(–3.5) cm × 1.5–4(–11) mm, margins entire or dentate, (base and apex ciliate, trichomes simple, 0.3–0.8 mm), surfaces pubescent with short-stalked, 4–12-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.3 mm.

subrosulate;

subsessile;

blade oblanceolate to obovate, 0.3–0.8(–1.3) cm × 1–2.5 mm, margins entire, (ciliate, trichomes simple, subsetiform, 0.25–0.8 mm), surfaces glabrous.
Cauline leaves

3–10(–17), (not overlapping);

sessile;

blade lanceolate to ovate or oblong, margins entire or dentate, surfaces pubescent as basal (adaxially with simple and forked trichomes near blade base).

0.
Racemes

(10–)15–47(–63)-flowered, basally bracteate, often considerably elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, densely pubescent, trichomes 4–10-rayed (0.05–0.2 mm), and fewer simple ones.

4–10-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, glabrous.
Flowers

sepals (green or lavender), oblong to ovate, 1.5–2 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and few-rayed);

petals white, oblanceolate to spatulate, 2.3–3.7(–4.5) × 0.7–1.7 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.1–0.2 mm.

sepals broadly ovate, 2–3.5 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, (trichomes simple, 0.07–0.35 mm);

petals yellow, oblanceolate, 4–6 × 1.5–2 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.4–0.5 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

suberect or ascending, straight, 2–5(–10) mm, pubescent as rachis.

divaricate-ascending to ascending, straight, 4–9(–15) mm, glabrous.
Fruits

(subappressed to rachis), linear-lanceolate to linear or, rarely, ovate-oblong, slightly twisted or plane, flattened, (5–)6–11 × 1.5–2(–2.5) mm;

valves pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 3–7-rayed, 0.05–0.3 mm;

ovules 28–48 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.6 mm.

ovate, plane, flattened, 3–5.5 × 2–3.2 mm;

valves glabrous or puberulent, trichomes simple, 0.02–0.08 mm;

ovules 4–10 per ovary;

style 0.5–1.7 mm.
Seeds

ovoid, 0.5–0.7(–0.9) × 0.3–0.5 mm.

ovoid, 1–1.4 × 0.7–1 mm.
2n

= 32.

= 20.

Draba cana

Draba burkei
Phenology Flowering (May-)Jun–Aug. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Rock outcrops and talus, open prairie benchlands, roadsides, meadows, alpine tundra Rocky ridges, steep talus slopes, rock outcrops and crevices
Elevation 0-4100 m (0-13500 ft) 1600-3000 m (5200-9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; ME; MI; MT; NH; NM; NV; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The limits of Draba cana have long been confused, and the species was treated as a synonym of the Himalayan D. lanceolata Royle (M. L. Fernald 1934; C. L. Hitchcock 1941) or as a variety of the western North American D. breweri (R. C. Rollins 1993). However, G. A. Mulligan (1971) clearly demonstrated that all three are distinct and should be maintained. Some Utah plants corresponding to the type of D. valida have shorter and wider oblong-ovate fruits. In all other aspects, they are indistinguishable from D. cana. Additional studies are needed to establish whether such plants should be formally recognized.

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

Of conservation concern.

Draba burkei was treated by C. L. Hitchcock (1941) and R. C. Rollins (1993) as a variety of D. maguirei. Chromosome numbers (2n = 20 versus 2n = 32), plant morphology, and molecular data support the recognition of these taxa as independent species (M. D. Windham 2004). Draba burkei is easily distinguished from D. maguirei by having exclusively simple trichomes confined to leaf blade margins (versus mostly branched trichomes on margins and surfaces) and smaller seeds (1–1.4 × 0.7–1 versus 1.6–2 × 1–1.3 mm). It is known from Box Elder, Cache, Morgan, and Weber counties, where it approaches but does not overlap the range of D. maguirei. Draba burkei (as D. maguirei var. burkei) is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants and is listed in NatureServe as a plant of conservation concern.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 298. FNA vol. 7, p. 298.
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. brachycarpa, D. brachystylis, D. breweri, D. burkei, D. californica, 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. 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 D. breweri var. cana, D. valida D. maguirei var. burkei
Name authority Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 29: 241. (1902) (C. L. Hitchcock) Windham & Beilstein: Madroño 50: 221. (2004)
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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