Draba nivalis Lilj.
snow draba (snow whitlow-grass; yellow arctic draba)
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
snow draba (snow whitlow-grass; yellow arctic draba)
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
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Species Information
General:
Tufted perennial herb from a taproot; stems branched, 3-12 (20) cm tall, starlike-hairy.
Leaves:
Usually all basal, oblong-egg-shaped, 0.5-1.5 cm long, 1-4 mm wide, greyish-hairy with overlapping starlike hairs, margins with all starlike hairs or with only simple hairs near base, midribs prominent and persistent; stem leaves absent or sometimes 1.
Flowers:
Racemes 3- to 12-flowered; flower stalks 1-6 (11) mm long, ascending to erect, grey-hairy with starlike hairs; petals white, 2.5-4 mm long; sepals 1.5-2 mm long, glabrous or hairy.
Fruits:
Silicles, 5-12 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, lance-linear to oblong or lance-oblong, plane to contorted, glabrous; styles 0.2-0.5 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 nivalis
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) |
1419 | 5 | 1990 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
17 | 0 | 85 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
277 | 0 | 337 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 1 | 4 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
26 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BAFA | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BAFA(20), ESSF(4) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry meadows, rocky slopes and scree slopes in the subalpine and alpine zones; infrequent throughout BC; N to AK, YT and NT and E to NF.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Draba nivalis var. thompsonii C.L. Hitchc.