Draba borealis DC.
northern draba (boreal draba; northern whitlow-grass)
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
northern draba (boreal draba; northern whitlow-grass)
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Loosely tufted perennial herb from a taproot and a simple or branched stem-base; stems branched, erect or decumbent at base, 7-55 cm tall, hairy with some long, simple or occasionally branched hairs.
Leaves:
Basal leaves oblanceolate, 0.6-5 cm long, 3-18 mm wide, toothed or entire; stem leaves (2) 3-6 (10), egg-shaped to lanceolate, elliptic or oblong, 0.4-4 cm long, 0.2-1.8 cm wide, toothed or entire, hairy with 4- to 6-rayed, starlike hairs and often straight, simple or branched hairs.
Flowers:
Racemes several- to many-flowered, occasionally with solitary flowers in axils of upper leaves; flower stalks 3-16 mm long, ascending, straight, soft-hairy; petals white to cream, 4-6 mm long; sepals 2-3 mm long, soft-hairy.
Fruits:
Silicles, 7-14 mm long, 2-4 mm wide, lanceolate, twisted or plane; hairy with simple or branched hairs; styles 0.3-1 mm long.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Draba borealis
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1803 | 1640 | 2220 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
30 | 8 | 69 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
31 | 80 | 315 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 2 | 4 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
4 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BAFA(1), ESSF(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic meadows and gravelly floodplains in the subalpine and alpine zones; frequent in N BC; amphiberingian, N to AK, YT and NT and E to SW AB; E. Asia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Draba borealis var. maxima (Hultén) S.L. Welsh
Draba maxima Hultén
Draba mccallae Rydb.