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Draba, tall Draba, tall whitlow-grass, tall whitlow-grass Draba

California Draba

Habit Annuals or perennials; (short-lived); caudex simple or branched; not scapose. Perennials; (short-lived); caudex simple or branched; sometimes scapose.
Stems

branched or unbranched, (0.5–)0.8–3.2(–3.8) dm, pubescent throughout, trichomes 3–5-rayed, 0.1–0.4 mm, with simple and 2-rayed ones, 0.4–1 mm.

unbranched or branched (few), (0.2–)0.4–0.9(–1.2) dm, pubescent throughout, trichomes stellate, 4–8-rayed, 0.05–0.5 mm.

Basal leaves

rosulate;

subsessile;

petiole base ciliate, (trichomes simple and 2-rayed, 0.2–0.8 mm);

blade oblanceolate, (0.7–)1–3.5(–4.5) cm × 1.5–7(–9) mm, margins usually dentate, rarely entire, surfaces pubescent, abaxially with stalked, 3–6-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.5 mm, adaxially with stalked, 3–5-rayed, 0.1–0.6 mm, and simple ones, to 0.8 mm.

rosulate; shortly petiolate;

petiole ciliate, margin not ciliate, (trichomes simple and 2-rayed, 0.3–1 mm);

blade oblanceolate, 0.6–2 cm × 1.5–4(–6) mm, margins entire, surfaces pubescent with short-stalked, 4–8-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.4 mm.

Cauline leaves

(1 or) 2–5(–9);

sessile;

blade ovate to lanceolate, margins dentate or entire, surfaces pubescent as basal.

0–3;

sessile;

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

Racemes

(5–)8–30(–37)-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem.

3–13-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit;

rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem.

Flowers

(late-season ones petaliferous);

sepals ovate, 1.7–2.5 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and stalked, 2-rayed);

petals white, oblanceolate to spatulate, 2.8–3.5(–4) × 0.8–1.2 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm.

sepals (persistent until fruit maturity), oblong to ovate, 1.7–2.5 mm, pubescent, (trichomes short-stalked, 2–5-rayed);

petals white or creamy white, spatulate to oblanceolate, 2.2–3 × 0.8–1 mm;

anthers ovate, 0.2–0.35 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate-ascending to ascending or suberect (not appressed to rachis), straight, (3–)4–10(–12) mm, pubescent, trichomes 3–5-rayed (0.1–0.4 mm), and sometimes simple.

ascending to divaricate-ascending, straight, (2–)4–9(–12) mm, pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 4–8-rayed, (0.1–0.4 mm).

Fruits

(erect, not appressed to rachis) lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, plane, flattened, (5–)7–12(–15) × 1.5–2.5(–3) mm;

valves puberulent, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–4-rayed, 0.05–0.25 mm;

ovules (24–)30–52 per ovary;

style 0.03–0.1(0.15) mm.

lanceolate to oblong, plane, slightly flattened, (5–)6–9(–11) × 1.8–2.5 mm;

valves usually pubescent, rarely glabrous, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2- or 3-rayed, 0.05–0.25 mm;

ovules 22–32 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.3(–0.4) mm.

Seeds

oblong, 0.8–1.1 × 0.5–0.6 mm, (often apiculate).

oblong, 0.8–1 × 0.5–0.6 mm.

2n

= 56.

Draba praealta

Draba californica

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Rocky pine slopes, subalpine areas, alpine meadows, grassy volcanic ridges, woodlands, damp rocky areas, limestone talus, shale cliffs, steep hillsides Grassy meadows, alpine areas, fellfields
Elevation 1200-2900 m (3900-9500 ft) 3200-4000 m (10500-13100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT; e Asia (Russian Far East [Chukchi Peninsula])
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Morphological and chromosomal evidence (M. D. Windham, unpubl.) suggests that Draba praealta may be an allopolyploid originating through hybridization between D. albertina and D. cana. Both R. C. Rollins (1993) and N. H. Holmgren (2005b) placed D. lonchocarpa var. dasycarpa in the synonymy of D. lonchocarpa. G. A. Mulligan (1974) indicated that the type of var. dasycarpa does not belong to that species and he correctly annotated its isotype (Macoun 64454, CAN) as D. praealta. Mulligan (1976) and Rollins indicated that D. praealta occurs in Alaska, but we have not seen unequivocal material from the state.

We have not seen the material on which A. E. Katenin and V. V. Petrovsky (1995) based their record from the Russian Far East.

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

Although originally treated as a variety of Draba cuneifolia, D. californica is but distantly related to that species. Instead, ongoing studies (L. Allphin and M. D. Windham, unpubl.) suggest that it may be an allopolyploid resulting from hybridization between D. albertina and D. breweri. The species is restricted to the White Mountains in Mono County, California, and adjacent Esmeralda County, Nevada.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 331. FNA vol. 7, p. 298.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. cascadensis, D. columbiana, D. dolichopoda, D. lapilutea, D. lonchocarpa var. dasycarpa, D. praealta var. yellowstonensis, D. yellowstonensis D. cuneifolia var. californica
Name authority Greene: Pittonia 3: 306. (1898) (Jepson) Rollins & R. A. Price: Aliso 12: 19. (1988)
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