Flora of North America species comparison

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Draba helleriana

Draba novolympica

Heller's Draba

Mt. Olympic Draba, Olympic Draba, Olympic Mountains Draba, Payson's Draba, Payson's whitlow-grass, Trelease's Draba, Trelease's whitlow-grass
Habit Biennials or perennials; (short-lived); caudex simple or branched; not scapose. Perennials; (cespitose, densely pulvinate); caudex branched (covered with persistent leaves, branches creeping, sometimes terminating in sterile rosettes); scapose.
Stems

branched, (0.1–)1.5–4.3(–5.1) dm, hirsute throughout, trichomes simple, 0.4–1.3(–1.8) mm, with short-stalked to subsessile, 3–5-rayed ones, 0.2–0.4 mm, (some slightly coarser, 2-rayed).

unbranched, 0.05–0.4 dm, densely pubescent throughout, trichomes simple, 0.4–0.8 mm, and stalked, 2–5-rayed, 0.1–0.5 mm.
Basal leaves

rosulate;

petiolate;

petiole base ciliate or not;

blade oblanceolate to obovate, 0.9–4.1(–5.2) cm × 2–7(–10) mm, margins entire or dentate, surfaces pubescent, abaxially with stalked, cruciform, and fewer 3–5-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.6 mm, adaxially with cruciform and simple trichomes, 0.4–1.3 mm, and smaller 2-rayed ones.

(densely imbricate); rosulate;

sessile;

blade oblong to linear-oblanceolate, 0.2–0.8 cm × 0.5–1.5 mm, margins entire, (ciliate, trichomes simple and spurred, 0.3–1.2 mm), surfaces densely pubescent, abaxially with stalked, 2–12-rayed stellate trichomes, 0.1–0.6 mm, adaxially with simple and 2-rayed ones, 0.3–0.8 mm.
Cauline leaves

(8–)12–31(–43);

sessile;

blade ovate to lanceolate or oblong, margins usually dentate, rarely subentire, surfaces pubescent as basal.

0.
Racemes

10–52(–83)-flowered, usually ebracteate, rarely proximalmost 1 or 2 flowers bracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem.

2–12-flowered, ebracteate, slightly elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem.
Flowers

sepals oblong, 2.5–4 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and stalked, 2-rayed);

petals yellow, oblanceolate, 5–7 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.5–0.8 mm.

sepals oblong, 1.5–2.5 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–4-rayed);

petals bright yellow, oblanceolate to spatulate, 2–3.5(–4) × 1.5–2 mm;

anthers oblong, 0.5–0.6 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

horizontal to divaricate-ascending, straight or slightly curved upward, 4–10(–13) mm, pubescent as rachis abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

divaricate-ascending, straight, 1–5 mm, pubescent, trichomes simple (0.3–0.9 mm) and stalked, 2–5-rayed (0.1–0.5 mm).
Fruits

(not appressed to rachis), lanceolate to ovate or oblong-lanceolate, slightly to strongly twisted or plane, flattened, 5–15 × 2–3.5 mm;

valves puberulent, trichomes simple and subsessile, 2(–4)-rayed, 0.03–0.25(–0.8) mm;

ovules 14–28 per ovary;

style (1–)1.5–3.5 mm.

often ovoid, plane, slightly inflated basally (symmetric), (2.5–)3–4(–5) × 1.5–3.5 mm;

valves densely pubescent, trichomes 2–6-rayed, 0.05–0.4 mm, occasionally some simple;

ovules 4–8(–12) per ovary;

style 0.2–0.6(–0.8) mm.
Seeds

oblong, 1–1.3 × 0.6–0.8 mm.

oblong, 1.2–1.8 × 0.8–1.1 mm.
2n

= 18.

= 42.

Draba helleriana

Draba novolympica
Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Oak and pine-fir woodlands, aspen groves, rocky meadows Alpine crests, open knolls, fellfields, talus, weathered shale, calcareous shale scree, rocky grounds and cliffs, subalpine conifer forests
Elevation 2100-3600 m (6900-11800 ft) 1500-3700 m (4900-12100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; Mexico (Nuevo León)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Draba helleriana is highly variable and was divided by C. L. Hitchcock (1941) into four varieties. For a discussion of those and the circumscription of the species, see I. A. Al-Shehbaz and M. D. Windham (2007).

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

Draba novolympica is the same taxon that C. L. Hitchcock (1941) and R. C. Rollins (1993) called D. paysonii var. treleasei, and G. A. Mulligan (2002) called D. paysonii. The two are amply distinct and should be recognized as separate species. Draba novolympica is easily distinguished from D. paysonii by having fruit valves pubescent with 2–6-rayed (occasionally some simple) trichomes 0.05–0.4 mm, sepals 1.5–2.5 mm, petals 2–3.5(–4) × 1.5–2 mm, fruits (2.5–)3–4(–5) × 1.5–3.5 mm, styles 0.2–0.6(–0.8) mm, and ovules 1.2–1.8 × 0.8–1.1 mm. By contrast, D. paysonii has fruit valves pubescent with simple and 2-rayed (some 4- or 5-rayed) trichomes (0.2–)0.4–1 mm, sepals 2.8–3.5 mm, petals (4–)5–6 × (1.5–)2–3 mm, fruits (5–)6–9 × (3–)3.5–5 mm, styles (0.6–)0.8–1.2 mm, and ovules 1.7–2.2 × 1–1.4 mm.

Both R. C. Rollins (1993) and N. H. Holmgren (2005b) indicated that Draba novolympica (as D. paysonii var. treleasei) occurs in Alaska and Yukon, but we have not seen any material from there, and it is likely that their records were based on misidentified plants. Previous reports of D. paysonii from Canada (e.g., G. A. Mulligan 1971b) pertain instead to D. novolympica.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 311. FNA vol. 7, p. 323.
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. exunguiculata, D. fladnizensis, D. glabella, D. globosa, D. graminea, D. grandis, D. grayana, D. heilii, 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. 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. aurea var. tylosa, D. helleriana var. leiocarpa, D. helleriana var. neomexicana, D. helleriana var. patens, D. helleriana var. pinetorum, D. neomexicana, D. neomexicana var. robusta, D. pallida, D. patens, D. pinetorum, D. stylosa D. barbata var. treleasei, D. paysonii var. treleasei
Name authority Greene: Pittonia 4: 17. (1899) Payson & H. St. John: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 43: 113. (1930)
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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