Flora of North America species comparison

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Draba incerta

Draba nivalis

whitlow-wort, Yellowstone Draba, Yellowstone Draba whitlow-wort, Yellowstone whitlow-grass, Yellowstone whitlow-wort

snow Draba, snow whitlow-grass, yellow arctic Draba
Habit Perennials; (cespitose, often pulvinate); caudex branched (dense with persistent leaf remains, branches sometimes terminating in sterile rosettes); scapose. Perennials; (cespitose, usually forming mats); caudex branched (covered with persistent leaf bases); usually scapose.
Stems

unbranched, (0.2–)0.4–1.4(–2.1) dm, often pubescent throughout, sometimes glabrous distally, trichomes often simple and 2–5-rayed, 0.1–0.5 mm, (sometimes with mostly subpectinate ones).

unbranched, 0.2–0.8(–1.2) dm, pubescent throughout, trichomes minutely stalked, 8–15-rayed, stellate, (non-crisped), 0.03–0.15 mm.
Basal leaves

rosulate; petiolate;

petiole (0–1 cm), ciliate throughout;

blade narrowly oblanceolate to linear, (0.4–)0.6–1.7(–2.5) cm × (1–)1.5–3.5(–5) mm, margins entire, (ciliate, trichomes usually simple, rarely 2-rayed, 0.2–1.1 mm), surfaces usually pubescent with short-stalked, pectinate trichomes, 0.15–0.5 mm, sometimes also with 4–6-rayed ones, (midvein usually obscure abaxially), sometimes glabrous adaxially.

rosulate;

petiole (obsolete), ciliate throughout;

blade oblanceolate to obovate, 0.2–0.9(–1.5) cm × 1–3(–5) mm, margins entire, (not ciliate), surfaces usually pubescent, rarely glabrescent, with short-stalked, 8–15-rayed, stellate, (non-crisped) trichomes, 0.05–0.15 mm.
Cauline leaves

usually 0 (or 1, as a bract);

sessile;

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

0 or 1;

sessile;

blade ovate or oblong, margins entire, surfaces pubescent as basal.
Racemes

3–14(–30)-flowered, usually ebracteate, rarely proximalmost flowers bracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, glabrous or pubescent as stem.

3–9(–11)-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis often slightly flexuous, pubescent as stem.
Flowers

sepals broadly ovate, 2.5–3.5(–4) mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and 2- or 3-rayed);

petals yellow (fading white), oblanceolate to obovate, 4–6 × 1.5–2.5 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.3–0.5 mm.

sepals ovate, 1.5–2 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–5-rayed);

petals white, spatulate to oblanceolate, 2–3.5 × 0.8–1.4 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

ascending, straight, (2.5–)4–11(–27) mm, glabrous or pubescent, trichomes 2–5-rayed or pectinate.

usually ascending, rarely divaricate, straight, 1–4.5(–8) mm, pubescent as stem.
Fruits

broadly ovate to lanceolate, plane, flattened, 5–9(–11) × 2–4 mm;

valves glabrous or puberulent, trichomes simple and 2-rayed, 0.05–0.3 mm;

ovules 8–16(–20) per ovary;

style 0.2–0.9 mm.

elliptic to narrowly oblong-elliptic, twisted or not, flattened, 3.5–9 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

valves usually glabrous, rarely with 3–6-rayed trichomes on replum;

ovules 12–24(–28) per ovary;

style 0.1–0.4 mm.
Seeds

oblong, 1.1–1.5 × 0.7–1 mm.

ovoid, 0.6–1 × 0.5–0.6 mm.
2n

= 112.

= 16.

Draba incerta

Draba nivalis
Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Rock outcrops, talus, gravelly areas, tundra Rock outcrops and fellfields, meadows, open tundra, stream banks, gravelly beaches, roadsides
Elevation 0-3300 m (0-10800 ft) 0-2500 m (0-8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; ID; MT; NV; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; QC; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AB; BC; MB; NF; NT; NU; ON; QC; YT; Greenland; Europe (Finland, Norway [including Svalbard], n, w Sweden); e Asia (Russian Far East, n Siberia); Atlantic Islands (Iceland); circumpolar
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Draba incerta was shown by G. A. Mulligan (1972) to be sexually reproducing and 14-ploid with x = 8. It is often confused with the apomict D. oligosperma (2n = 32, 64). Draba incerta is readily separated from D. oligosperma by having well-formed (versus abortive) anthers and pollen, stalked (versus sessile) leaf trichomes, and ciliate (versus non-ciliate) basal leaves with obscure (versus prominent) midveins. Although both species have leafless scapes, one often finds a bract adnate to, or subtending, the proximalmost pedicel in D. incerta.

Draba incerta is found near sea level in Alaska.

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

Draba nivalis is most often confused with D. lonchocarpa, and C. L. Hitchcock (1941) reduced the latter to a variety (var. elongata) of D. nivalis. A critical comparison reveals that there are enough differences to warrant their recognition as distinct species. Draba nivalis is distinguished by having non-ciliate leaf bases, basal leaf blades pubescent with trichomes 0.05–0.15 mm, stems and pedicels that are always pubescent, and fruits that are elliptic to narrowly elliptic-oblong, plane, and 3.5–9 mm. By contrast, D. lonchocarpa has ciliate leaf bases, basal leaf blades pubescent with trichomes 0.15–0.5 mm, stems and pedicels that are glabrous or sparsely pubescent, and fruits that are linear to lanceolate or oblong, slightly twisted or plane, and 6–15(–18) mm. Except for Alaska, D. nivalis does not grow in the continental United States, whereas D. lonchocarpa grows in nearly all Mountain and Pacific states.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 313. FNA vol. 7, p. 322.
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. helleriana, D. hitchcockii, D. howellii, D. incana, 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. 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. exalata, D. incerta var. laevicapsula, D. incerta var. peasei, D. laevicapsula, D. peasei D. caesia
Name authority Payson: Amer. J. Bot. 4: 261. (1917) Liljeblad: Utkast Sv. Fl., 236. (1792)
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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