Annual, perennial or rarely biennial herbs or dwarf shrubs, sometimes with woody
rootstocks; stems scapose or leafy, often elongating after flowering, usually beset with
stellate, furcate or simple hairs, rarely glabrous. Leaves simple, entire or shortly dentate,
ciliate; basal leaves usualy rosulate, sessile or short-stalked; cauline leaves when present
amplexicaul, mostly sessile, rarely shortly petiolate. Flowers in ebracteate racemes or
corymbs, occasionally bracteate, yellow or white, rarely purple, lilac or rose-coloured.
Sepals subequal, erect; inner ones broadly ovate, rarely slightly saccate at base, rounded
or blunt at apex; outer ones longer, elliptic, thin along margins. Petals obovate-cuneate,
entire or subemarginate, rarely absent. Stamens 6, or 4 with 2 outer abortive ones;
filaments linear, often broadened towards base, rarely outer ones 1-dentate; anthers
ovoid or oblong. Nectar glands various, laterals usually 2- or -lobed, often joining to
form a horse-shoe shaped structure; middle glands mostly absent. Ovary sessile, flat and
ellipsoid or rarely cylindrical; ovules 4 to many; style distinct, persistent; stigma bilohed
or depressed capitate. Fruits ovoid-suborbicular to ellipsoid, rarely siliquiform or
linear, broadly septate, bilocular, straight or twisted, pilose or smooth; valves flat to
subconvex, reticulately nerved with a distinct median vein at base or obscurely veined;
septum of the replum membranous with small irregular polygonal cells. Seeds 2-many
in 2 rows in each locule, ovoid or ellipsoid, rarely slightly winged, pendulous, radicle
accumbent.
In Arctic, temperate and high altitudes of tropical zones; about 300 species, 33 in
India.
KEY TO THE SPECIES
| 1a. Flowering stem scapose, rarely 1 -
2-leaved
|
2
|
| b. Flowering stem leafy
|
10
|
| b. Dried basal leaves mostly 1-nerved
|
4
|
| 4a. Leaves sparsely white tomentose
|
5
|
| b. Leaves densely white tomentose
|
9
|
| b. Fruits ovoid, inflated
|
6
|
| b. Ovary 4 - 12-ovuled; fruits acute at apex
|
7
|
| 7a. Fruits rounded at base; leaves greenish beneath, with simple or branched hairs
|
8
|
| b. Fruits sub-bisaccate at base; leaves whitish beneath with dense stellate hairs
|
15.
Draba korschinskyi
|
| 8a. Leaves oblong-linear, 3 - 4 (-5) mm long, rigid, mid-vein prominent; fruits 3 - 4 x 2 - 2.5 mm
|
5.
Draba cachemirica
|
| b. Leaves oblong or elliptic-obovate, 6 -12 (-15) mm long, chartaceous, mid-vein not prominent; fruits (3-) 4 - 6 x 3 - 5 mm
|
23.
Draba oreades
|
| 9a. Stems radical, 1 - 5 cm long; ovary 4 - 8-ovuled; style 1 - 2 mm long
|
1.
Draba affghanica
|
| b. Stems erect, 3 - 10 cm long; ovary (8-) 10 - 14-ovuled; style 0.5 - 0.75 mm long
|
22.
Draba olgae
|
| 10a. Scape with 4 -
14 or more leaves, uniformly arranged throughout
|
11
|
| b. Scape with (1-) 2 -
3 (-5) leaves, usually below the middle
|
14
|
| b. Leaves shortly petioled
|
12
|
| 12a. Flowers yellow; fruits ovoid to ellipsoid
|
3.
Draba amoena
|
| b. Flowers violet; fruits oblong
|
13
|
| 13a. Stem 6 -
8-foliate; fruits slightly acute, pilose
|
8.
Draba elata
|
| 14a. Plants annual, rarely perennial; flowers yellow (white in D. elllpsoidea); fruits usually with rudimentaty styles, rarely styliferous
|
15
|
| b. Plants perennial; petals white (yellowish white or yellow in D. tibetica); fruits styliferous
|
22
|
| b. Seeds biseriate, 0.5 -
1 mm long; margins not winged
|
16
|
| b. Flowers white; petals ca 1 mm long
|
17
|
| 17a. Plants flaccid, diffuse; racemes lax, few-flowered
|
18
|
| b. Plants erect or ascending; racemes usually many -flowered
|
19
|
| 18a. Racemes 1 -
3 (-5)-flowered; petals 7 -
8 mm long; style ca 1.5 mm long
|
6.
Draba cholaensis
|
| b. Racemes usually (1-) 3 -10-flowered; petals ca 3 mm long; style ea 0.5 mm long or obscure
|
13.
Draba gracillima
|
| 19a. Petals less than 3 mm long
|
20
|
| b. Petals 3 mm long or more
|
21
|
| 20a. Racemes 25 or more flowered; petals ca 2 mm long; fruits oblong-ellipsoid, 5 -
8 x 2.5 (-3) mm;
pedicels stout, longer than fruits
|
20.
Draba nemorosa
|
| b. Racemes (5-) 12 (-16)-flowered; petals ca 2.5 mm long; fruits sublinear or oblong-ellipsoid, 4 - 7 x 1 mm; pedicels slender, equal to or shorter than fruit
|
19.
Draba melanopus
|
| 21a. Pedicels filiform; fruits linear, slightly obtuse, pilose, 8 -
20 x 2 mm
|
29.
Draba stenocarpa
|
| b. Pedicels stout; fruits ovoid or oblong-ovoid, acute, glabrous,5 -
10 x 2 -
2.5 mm
|
10.
Draba eriopoda
|
| b. Flowers yellowish white or yellow
|
23
|
| 23a. Fruiting scapes 4 -
8 cm long; fruits 3 -
4 x 1.5 (-20) mm
|
24
|
| b. Fruiting scapes 6 - 20 cm long; fruits 5 - 10 x 1.5 (-2) mm
|
25
|
| 24a. Basal leaves largely ciliate with simple or furcate hairs; fruiting scapes ca 4 (-6) cm long; fruits ovoid-
oblong, straight, glabrous; pedicels 4 -
6 mm long
|
2.
Draba altaica
|
| b. Basal leaves densely tomentose with short and stellate white hairs; fruiting scapes ca 8 cm long. tomentose; fruits ellipsoid-oblong, often twisted, puberulous; pedicels 2 - 4 mm long
|
12.
Draba glomerata
|
| b. Fruits linear-oblong or ellipsoid-lanceolate, flattened, rarely twisted
|
26
|
| b. Racemes rarely bracteate below
|
27
|
| 27a. Leaves densely white tomentose
|
28
|
| b. Leaves not as above
|
30
|
| b. Basal leaves sessile or subsessile
|
29
|
| 29a. Leaves 5 - 10 mm long; racemes 6 - 12-flowered; fruits tomentose
|
27.
Draba sikkimensis
|
| b. Leaves 2 - 3 mm long; racemes 2 - 5-flowered; fruits glabrous
|
7.
Draba dasyastra
|
| b. Stems many-leaved, all parts not substellately woolly
|
31
|
| b. Fruits up to 5 x 3 mm, oblong-ovoid to ovoid-orbicular
|
32
|
| 32a. Scapes erect, 15 - 20-flowered; fruits glabrous, 6 - 10-seeded
|
18.
Draba ludlowiana
|
| b. Scapes serpentino-flexuous, 30 - 50-flowered; fruits pubescent, 12 - 16-seeded
|
28.
Draba stenobotrys
|
