Flora of North America species comparison

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Draba incerta

Draba pilosa

whitlow-wort, Yellowstone Draba, Yellowstone Draba whitlow-wort, Yellowstone whitlow-grass, Yellowstone whitlow-wort
Habit Perennials; (cespitose, often pulvinate); caudex branched (dense with persistent leaf remains, branches sometimes terminating in sterile rosettes); scapose. Perennials; (not stoloniferous); caudex branched (covered with persistent, dry leaves and midveins); 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, 0.4–1.7 dm, glabrous or pubescent, trichomes simple, 0.2–0.9 mm, and fewer, 2–4-rayed, 0.1–0.6 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.

(imbricate); rosulate; petiolate;

petiole (base thickened), ciliate throughout;

blade linear to linear-oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5(–2.2) cm × 1–2.5(–4) mm, margins entire (thickened, ciliate, trichomes simple and 2-rayed, to 1.1 mm), surfaces pubescent, abaxially with simple trichomes, 0.3–1 mm, and 2–4-rayed ones, 0.1–0.5 mm, adaxially similar, or with only simple trichomes, (midvein prominent, thickened).
Cauline leaves

usually 0 (or 1, as a bract);

sessile;

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

0.
Racemes

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

rachis not flexuous, glabrous or pubescent as stem.

(2–)4–12-flowered, ebracteate, usually elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, glabrous or 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, 2–3.5 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2-rayed);

petals pale to bright yellow, obovate, 3.5–6 × 2–3.5 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.4–0.5 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

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

divaricate-ascending, usually straight, rarely curved upward, 6–13 mm, glabrous or 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 lanceolate, 5–11 × 3–4 mm, plane, flattened;

valves glabrous or puberulent with simple and short-stalked, 2-rayed trichomes, 0.07–0.3 mm;

ovules 12–20 per ovary;

style 0.4–0.9 mm (stigma about as wide as style).
Seeds

oblong, 1.1–1.5 × 0.7–1 mm.

ovoid, 1.2–1.4 × 0.8–1 mm.
2n

= 112.

Draba incerta

Draba pilosa
Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Rock outcrops, talus, gravelly areas, tundra Dry gravelly slopes, sandy places, wet tundra
Elevation 0-3300 m (0-10800 ft) 0-1300 m (0-4300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; ID; MT; NV; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; QC; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; NT; NU; YT; e Asia (ne Russian Far East, n Siberia)
[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.)

O. E. Schulz (1927) reduced Draba pilosa to a variety of the decaploid D. alpina and cited North American collections. The former species was not listed by C. L. Hitchcock (1941) or R. C. Rollins (1993). From D. alpina, D. pilosa is easily distinguished by having strongly thickened and persistent (versus not thickened) midveins and margins, and usually narrower leaf blades [1–2.5(–5) versus 2.5–6(–9) mm wide].

As recognized herein, Draba pilosa is broadly circumscribed to include perhaps two or three closely related taxa. All are scapose plants with large, yellow flowers and prominent, persistent midveins and petioles. Some Alaskan forms (e.g., Parker 7596, ALA), which grow in moist heath habitats, have leaves 3–5 mm wide, whereas the majority have narrower leaf blades rarely reaching 2.5 mm in width. Most plants assigned to this species have leaves with exclusively simple trichomes and often glabrous scapes. Others (e.g., Chesemore & Davies 13, Murray 3371, Parker & Batten 8954, all at ALA) have leaf blade surfaces and scapes with 2–4-rayed trichomes and blade margins ciliate with simple trichomes. One collection (Walker s.n., ALA) has a mixture of plants of both trichome types but no intermediates were found. Detailed molecular and cytological studies are needed on this complex to determine if more than one taxon is represented.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 313. FNA vol. 7, p. 330.
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. 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. 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. alpina var. pilosa, D. aspera
Name authority Payson: Amer. J. Bot. 4: 261. (1917) Adams ex de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle, Syst. Nat. 2: 336. (1821)
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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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