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clawless Draba

beavertip Draba, rockcress Draba, round-fruit Draba

Habit Perennials; (densely cespitose); caudex branched (covered with persistent, somewhat thickened, dry petioles); not scapose. Perennials; (cespitose, pulvinate); caudex branched (with persistent leaves, branches sometimes terminating in sterile rosettes); scapose.
Stems

unbranched, 0.15–0.7 dm, glabrous throughout or sparsely pubescent, trichomes simple, 0.3–0.9 mm.

unbranched, 0.1–0.5 dm, glabrous.

Basal leaves

rosulate;

petiolate;

petiole ciliate, (trichomes simple, 0.3–1.1 mm);

blade linear to linear-oblanceolate, (0.5–)0.8–2(–2.5) cm × 1–3 mm, margins entire, (pubescent as petiole), surfaces abaxially sparsely pubescent with simple and stalked, 2- or 3-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.4 mm, adaxially glabrous or subapically sparsely pubescent with simple trichomes.

rosulate;

sessile;

blade (not fleshy), narrowly oblanceolate or lanceolate to linear, (0.2–)0.3–0.8 cm × 0.5–1.6(–2) mm, margins entire (ciliate, trichomes simple, 0.1–0.8 mm, apex acute, trichomes usually longer), surfaces glabrous, (midvein obscure abaxially).

Cauline leaves

1–4;

sessile;

blade linear to linear-oblanceolate, margins entire, surfaces pubescent as basal.

0.

Racemes

4–13(–20)-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pubescent, trichomes simple, to 1 mm.

2–5(–7)-flowered, ebracteate, slightly elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, glabrous.

Flowers

sepals ovate, 2–2.5 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple);

petals (erect), yellow, obovate, 2–2.5(–3) × 1.5–2 mm, (not clawed);

anthers oblong, 0.6–0.9 mm.

sepals (persistent to near fruit maturity), ovate to broadly oblong, 2–3 mm, glabrous;

petals white to pale yellow, obovate, 2.5–4 × 1.2–2 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.4–0.6 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate-ascending, straight or slightly curved upward, 1–6 mm, usually glabrous, rarely with few, simple trichomes.

divaricate-ascending, straight or slightly curved, 2–6 mm, glabrous.

Fruits

lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, plane, flattened, 5–13 × 1.5–3 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 20–24 per ovary;

style 0.3–1 mm.

ovate, plane, flattened, 4.5–8 × 2.5–4 mm;

valves (distinctly veined), glabrous;

ovules 8–16 per ovary;

style (0.1–)0.2–0.6 mm.

Seeds

ovoid, 1–1.3 × 0.6–0.8 mm.

oblong, 1.1–1.4 × 0.8–1 mm.

2n

= 56 ± 5.

Draba exunguiculata

Draba globosa

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Open knolls, talus, gravelly alpine slopes, rocky alpine tundra Ridges, talus, alpine tundra and meadows
Elevation 3600-4300 m (11800-14100 ft) 2700-3900 m (8900-12800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Draba exunguiculata occupies alpine areas of Clear Creek, El Paso, Grand, and Summit counties in central Colorado. Draba grayana is found in the same general area; both species are apomicts that occasionally grow sympatrically. Draba exunguiculata is easily distinguished from D. grayana by having stems and fruiting pedicels glabrous or sparsely pubescent with simple trichomes (versus moderately to densely pubescent with simple and 2- or 3-rayed trichomes), and by having erect, non-clawed petals, 2–3 mm and slightly longer than sepals (versus flared, clawed petals 3–4.5 mm and nearly twice as long as sepals).

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

Draba globosa is an apomictic species closely related to D. burkei (M. D. Windham, unpubl.). Though often treated as a variety of D. densifolia, it is morphologically and phyletically distinct from that species. Both R. C. Rollins (1993) and N. H. Holmgren (2005b) indicated that the species occurs in Colorado, but we have not seen material for that state.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 306. FNA vol. 7, p. 308.
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. 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. 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. 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. chrysantha var. exunguiculata, D. chrysantha D. apiculata, D. densifolia var. apiculata, D. densifolia var. decipiens, D. densifolia var. globosa
Name authority (O. E. Schulz) C. L. Hitchcock: Revis. Drabas W. N. Amer., 46. (1941) Payson: Amer. J. Bot. 4: 257. (1917)
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