Draba ruaxes |
Draba cana |
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coast mountain Draba, coast mountain whitlow-grass, coast mountain whitlow-grass Draba, Rainier Draba |
Brewer's Draba, canescent Draba, canescent whitlow-mustard, cushion Draba, hoary Draba, hoary whitlow-grass, lance-leaf Draba, lance-leaf whitlow-grass |
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Habit | Perennials; (cespitose, forming tufts); caudex branched (with persistent leaf bases, branches some terminating in sterile rosettes); scapose. | Perennials; caudex simple or branched (branches short); not scapose. |
Stems | unbranched, 0.2–0.6(–0.8) dm, often pubescent throughout, sometimes glabrate distally, trichomes simple, 0.4–1 mm, and 2–4-rayed, 0.1–0.4 mm. |
unbranched or branched distally, (0.6–)1–3(–3.8) dm, pubescent throughout, trichomes simple, 0.5–1mm, with 4–10-rayed ones, 0.05–0.2 mm (mostly branched on basal parts). |
Basal leaves | rosulate; subsessile; petiole base and margin ciliate, (trichomes simple, 0.4–1.4 mm); blade oblanceolate to obovate or suborbicular, 0.3–1 cm × 2–4.5 mm, margins entire, surfaces pubescent, abaxially with stalked, 2–10-rayed, stellate trichomes, 0.2–0.8 mm, adaxially with simple trichomes, 0.4–1 mm, sometimes with smaller, 2–4-rayed ones, (midvein obscure). |
rosulate; petiolate; petiole ciliate throughout; blade linear to oblanceolate or oblong, (0.5–)0.8–2(–3.5) cm × 1.5–4(–11) mm, margins entire or dentate, (base and apex ciliate, trichomes simple, 0.3–0.8 mm), surfaces pubescent with short-stalked, 4–12-rayed trichomes, 0.1–0.3 mm. |
Cauline leaves | 0. |
3–10(–17), (not overlapping); sessile; blade lanceolate to ovate or oblong, margins entire or dentate, surfaces pubescent as basal (adaxially with simple and forked trichomes near blade base). |
Racemes | (2–)4–10(–14)-flowered, ebracteate, elongated in fruit; rachis not flexuous, pubescent as stem or glabrous. |
(10–)15–47(–63)-flowered, basally bracteate, often considerably elongated in fruit; rachis not flexuous, densely pubescent, trichomes 4–10-rayed (0.05–0.2 mm), and fewer simple ones. |
Flowers | sepals ovate, 2–3 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple with fewer, 2-rayed ones); petals bright yellow, obovate, 4–6 × 2–3.5 mm; anthers oblong, 0.4–0.5 mm. |
sepals (green or lavender), oblong to ovate, 1.5–2 mm, pubescent, (trichomes simple and few-rayed); petals white, oblanceolate to spatulate, 2.3–3.7(–4.5) × 0.7–1.7 mm; anthers ovate, 0.1–0.2 mm. |
Fruiting pedicels | ascending to divaricate-ascending, straight or slightly curved upward, 3–7(–9) mm, pubescent or glabrous, trichomes simple and 2–4-rayed. |
suberect or ascending, straight, 2–5(–10) mm, pubescent as rachis. |
Fruits | elliptic to lanceolate or ovate to suborbicular, plane, flattened, 4–8(–10) × 3–4.5 mm; valves puberulent, trichomes simple with fewer 2-rayed ones, 0.1–0.35 mm; ovules 12–16 per ovary; style 0.5–0.9(–1.1) mm. |
(subappressed to rachis), linear-lanceolate to linear or, rarely, ovate-oblong, slightly twisted or plane, flattened, (5–)6–11 × 1.5–2(–2.5) mm; valves pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 3–7-rayed, 0.05–0.3 mm; ovules 28–48 per ovary; style 0.1–0.6 mm. |
Seeds | oblong, 1.5–2 × 1–1.3 mm. |
ovoid, 0.5–0.7(–0.9) × 0.3–0.5 mm. |
2n | = 72. |
= 32. |
Draba ruaxes |
Draba cana |
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Phenology | Flowering Jun–Jul. | Flowering (May-)Jun–Aug. |
Habitat | Rock outcrops, talus slopes, ridges, alpine summits | Rock outcrops and talus, open prairie benchlands, roadsides, meadows, alpine tundra |
Elevation | 500-2400 m (1600-7900 ft) | 0-4100 m (0-13500 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; WA; AB; BC; YT
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AK; CA; CO; ID; ME; MI; MT; NH; NM; NV; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT; Greenland
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Discussion | C. L. Hitchcock (1941) treated Draba ruaxes as a variety of D. ventosa; as demonstrated by G. A. Mulligan (1971b), the two are quite distinct. Draba ruaxes is an outcrossing hexaploid with well-formed anthers and pollen, and abundant, simple trichomes on leaves, stems, sepals, and fruits. By contrast, D. ventosa is an apomictic triploid with abortive anthers and/or pollen, and no simple trichomes anywhere on the plant. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The limits of Draba cana have long been confused, and the species was treated as a synonym of the Himalayan D. lanceolata Royle (M. L. Fernald 1934; C. L. Hitchcock 1941) or as a variety of the western North American D. breweri (R. C. Rollins 1993). However, G. A. Mulligan (1971) clearly demonstrated that all three are distinct and should be maintained. Some Utah plants corresponding to the type of D. valida have shorter and wider oblong-ovate fruits. In all other aspects, they are indistinguishable from D. cana. Additional studies are needed to establish whether such plants should be formally recognized. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 334. | FNA vol. 7, p. 298. |
Parent taxa | Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba | Brassicaceae > tribe Arabideae > Draba |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | D. ventosa var. ruaxes | D. breweri var. cana, D. valida |
Name authority | Payson & H. St. John: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 43: 117. (1930) | Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 29: 241. (1902) |
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