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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE MUSTARD FAMILY | |||||||||
| The mustard family can easily be identified by the fruit types. In this family the fruit types are the silicle and the silique. Both fruit types split open along two lines and have a membranous partition in the center to which the seeds attach. The silicle is long and thin, while the silicle is short and wide. The mustard family can also be identified by the flowers. The flowers have four separate sepals and four clawed petals arranged in a cross shape. There are four long stamens and two short stamens. | |||||||||
| The mustard family is well known in Saskatchewan. Many people farm canola as a crop. Also, many vegetables we consume in North America come from this family including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts. | |||||||||
| GOLDEN DRABA | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Draba aurea | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Golden draba grows as tall as 50 cm from a simple or branched woody structure. The purplish stems are solitary or in clumps and are covered in simple, forked, or star-shaped hairs. The basal leaves are small, spoon-shaped and covered in hairs. There are more than ten, stalkless stem leaves that get smaller towards the top of the plant. The stem leaves are also covered in hairs. The yellow flowers are crowded in an unbranched cluster. The fruits are ascending or erect, hairy siliques with stalks that are shorter than the pod. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Golden draba grows on dry, gravely, or forested slopes and alpine meadows. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in northern Saskatchewan, in the Lake Athabasca region, and occurs in the Tazin Lake Upland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| This species is endangered in Saskatchewan because it rare and only occurs in one location. This plant is likely commonly overlooked. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY GOLDEN DRABA | |||||||||
| * Are the flowers yellow? * Are there four petals in a cross shape? * Are there more than ten stem leaves? * Did you find it in near Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found golden draba! | |||||||||
