Species: Draba aurea Vahl ex Hornem.

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Draba aurea Vahl ex Hornem.

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Brassicaceae

Genus:

Draba

Species Synonyms:

Draba aurea var. leiocarpa (Payson & St. John) C.L. Hitchc.
Draba aurea var. neomexicana (Greene) Tidestrom
Draba minganensis (Victorin) Fern.
Draba neomexicana Greene

Common Names:

golden draba
drave dorée
golden whitlowgrass
golden whitlow-grass

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

Yukon Territory - Mackenzie District - northeastern Manitoba - Ungava - Labrador, south to British Columbia - southwestern Alberta, western Ontario

Saskatchewan:

northern Saskatchewan; Lake Athabasca

Ecoregion:

Tazin Lake Upland

HABITAT

Canada:

dry, gravely, or forested slopes and alpine meadows

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Endangered

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S2

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Draba aurea is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare and almost always locally sparse. In addition, it is only found in one location in Saskatchewan. This species is likely commonly overlooked.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

15 – 50 cm

Roots:

taproot

Stems:

caudex simple or branched; stems perennial, solitary to several, erect to decumbent, purplish, mixed pubescence with simple, bifid, cruciform and stellate hairs

Leaves:

basal and cauline; basal rosette, short petiolate, 0.4 - 3 cm long, 2 – 8 mm wide, spatulate to oblanceolate, pubescence stellate or bifid, margin entire to slightly denticulate; cauline leaves 3 – 30, alternate, sessile to clasping, 4 – 20 mm long, 2 – 4 mm wide, smaller upwards, oblong to ovate, pubescence stellate or bifid, margin entire to slightly denticulate

Inflorescence:

racemes terminal and axillary; flowers numerous, crowded

Flowers:

calyx 2 – 3 mm long, pilose or stellate; corolla 4.5 – 6 m long, cruciform, yellow; ovary pubescent; stigma capitate; style 0.3 – 1.5 mm long

Fruits:

silique ascending to erect, 7 – 20 mm long, 2 – 4 mm wide, lanceolate to narrowly oblong, often twisted, pubescence simple and bifid or stellate; fruiting pedicels shorter than pod

DRABA KEY IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Flowers yellow; stems very leafy or pedicels 2 – 4 x as long as pod	2
1 Flowers white; stems with less than 10 leaves and pedicels various	3

2 Stem leaves usually more than 10; pedicels shorter than pod	D. aurea
2 Stem leaves 1 – 5; pedicels 2 – 4 x as long as pod	D. nemorosa

3 Stem leaves all or mostly opposite; inflorescence subumbellate in fruit	D. reptans
3 Stem leaves alternate; inflorescence racemose in fruit	4

4 Caudex absent; stem leaves on lower 1/3 of plant; pedicels 2 – 4 times as long as pod	D. nemorosa
4 Caudex present; stem leaves usually at least 1/2 way up stem; pedicels rarely 2 times as long as pod	5

5 Stem leaves less than 5; fruiting pedicels spreading-ascending; mature siliques broadly lanceolate, not twisted, with thick coat of minute hairs; seeds at most 36	D. cinerea var. cinerea
5 Stem leaves usually 5 – 8; fruiting pedicels strongly ascending; mature siliques narrowly lanceolate, twisted, with stellate hairs; seeds 20 - 48	D. breweri var. cana