Flora of North America species comparison

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Draba cana

Draba sharsmithii

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

Mount Whitney Draba, Mt. Whitney Draba, Sharsmith's Draba
Habit Perennials; caudex simple or branched (branches short); not scapose. Perennials; (densely cespitose); caudex branched (covered with persistent leaves or leaf remains, 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, (0.15–)0.3–0.7(–1) dm, glabrous throughout or pubescent proximally, trichomes simple and 2-rayed, 0.1–0.4 mm.
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.

rosulate; petiolate;

petiole base and margin ciliate, (trichomes simple and 2-rayed, 0.3–1 mm);

blade oblanceolate to oblong-obovate or oblong, 0.4–0.7(–1) cm × 1–3(–5) mm, margins entire, surfaces pubescent abaxially with short-stalked, 2–5-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.4 mm, adaxially glabrous or sparsely pubescent, with simple and short-stalked, 2-rayed trichomes.
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.

2–10(–16)-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 ovate, 2.8–3.5 mm, sparsely pubescent, (trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–4-rayed);

petals yellow, spatulate to oblanceolate, 4–6 × 2–3 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.6–0.7 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

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

ascending, straight, (3–)5–12(–16) 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.

oblong to lanceolate or narrowly ovate, twisted (curved), flattened, (5–)8–15(–20) × 2–4(–5) mm;

valves usually glabrous, rarely pubescent, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2-rayed, (marginal), 0.5–0.15 mm;

ovules 16–20 per ovary;

style (0.5–)0.9–1.8(–2) mm.
Seeds

ovoid, 0.5–0.7(–0.9) × 0.3–0.5 mm.

oblong, 1–1.6 × 0.6–0.7 mm.
2n

= 32.

= 36.

Draba cana

Draba sharsmithii
Phenology Flowering (May-)Jun–Aug. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Rock outcrops and talus, open prairie benchlands, roadsides, meadows, alpine tundra Granitic outcrops and rocky slopes in open subalpine conifer communities
Elevation 0-4100 m (0-13500 ft) 3300-3800 m (10800-12500 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
CA
[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 sharsmithii is clearly related to D. cruciata; there is some evidence that it may be an allopolyploid incorporating a genome from that species. It is known only from the vicinity of Mount Whitney in the southern Sierra Nevada (Inyo County).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 298. FNA vol. 7, p. 336.
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. 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. 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. cruciata var. integrifolia
Name authority Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 29: 241. (1902) Rollins & R. A. Price: Harvard Pap. Bot. 1(3): 71. (1991)
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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