Scientific Name : Draba rectifructa
Author : C.L. Hitchc.
NatureServe Explorer
Common Name : Mountain Draba
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Taxonomy
Brassicaceae (mustard family)
There is some evidence of hybridization between populations of D. rectifructa and D. albertina in Utah (Flora of North America 2010).
Ranks and Status
State Rank : S3
State Rank Reason : Draba rectifructa is known from at least 12 counties in Colorado, USA. Based on herbarium species there are expected to be at least 50 occurrences.
U.S. Endangered Species Act : none
Colorado Threatened and Endangered List : none
Other Statuses : none
Description and Phenology
General Description:
Draba rectifructa is an annual, with simple stems, 0.5-4 dm tall, and yellow flowers, fading to white. Petal and sepals are about 2 mm long. Plants are pubescent with simple and 2-4 rayed trichomes. Plants have basal and cauline leaves, which are about 1-2 cm long. Fruits are about 7 mm long, pubescent, lanceolate and flattened (Flora of North America 2010, pers. comm. Burkert 2012).
Look Alikes:
Draba rectifructa is similar to D. nemorosa in pubescence of stems and leaves, and like D. stenoloba var. nana (=D. albertina) in the tendency to have a small but well-developed rosette (Goodrich and Neese 1986).
Phenology:
Flowering April-August throughout its range (FNA 1993+, Colorado Natural Heritage Program 2012).
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Habitat
Draba rectifructa occurs in the mountains on gravelly soil (Harrington 1954). The species is found in sagebrush and mixed shrublands in openings within montane forests (Lodgepole pine, Aspen, mixed conifer) with a variety of grasses and forbs (CNHP 2012).
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Elevation Range:
5,689 - 11,306 feet (1,734 - 3,446 meters)
Distribution
Colorado Endemic:
No
Range:
Draba rectifructa is known from numerous counties in Colorado (USA) including Chaffee, Custer, Eagle, Grand, Huerfano, Lake, Mesa, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache, Summit, and Teller. Estimated range extent in Colorado of 74,936 square kilometers was calculated in GeoCAT using specimen label data from SEINet (2023). This species can also be found in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, USA.
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Threats and Management Issues
Unknown, although habitat may be threatened by development as it is fairly low elevation. One herbarium label states that use of the area where collected is "heavy."
References
- Ackerfield, J. 2012. The Flora of Colorado. Colorado State University Herbarium. 433 pp.
- Al-Shehbaz, I.A., and M. D. Windham. 2007. New or noteworthy North American Draba (Brassicaceae). Harvard Papers in Botany 12(2): 409-419.
- Colorado Natural Heritage Program. 2012. Biodiversity Tracking and Conservation System. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2010. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 7. Magnoliophyta: Salicaceae to Brassicaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxii + 797 pp.
- Goodrich, S. and E. Neese. 1986. Uinta Basin Flora. U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Ogden, UT.
- Harrington, H.D. 1954. Manual of the plants of Colorado. Sage Press, Chicago. 666 pp.
- Heil, K.D., S.L. O'Kane Jr., L.M. Reeves, and A. Clifford, 2013. Flora of the Four Corners Region, Vascular Plants of the San Juan River Drainage; Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, Missouri. 1098 pp.
- Hitchcock, C.L. 1941. A revision of the Drabas of western North America. Univ. Washington Publications in Biology 11: 1-132.
- Holmgren, N.H., P.K. Holmgren, and A. Cronquist. 2005. Intermountain flora. Volume 2, part B. Subclass Dilleniidae. The New York Botanical Garden Press. 488 pages.
- Lavender, A.E., M.M. Fink, S.E. Linn, D.M. Theobald. 2011. Colorado Ownership, Management, and Protection v9 Database. Colorado Natural Heritage Program and Geospatial Centroid, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. (30 September).
- USDA, NRCS. 2022. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
- Weber, W. A. and R. C. Wittmann. 2012. Colorado Flora, Eastern Slope, A Field Guide to the Vascular Plants, Fourth Edition. Boulder, Colorado. 555 pp.
- Weber, W. A. and R. C. Wittmann. 2012. Colorado Flora, Western Slope, A Field Guide to the Vascular Plants, Fourth Edition. Boulder, Colorado. 532 pp.
- Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich and L.C. Higgins. (Eds.) 2008. A Utah Flora. 4th edition, revised. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, U.S.A. 1019 pp.
Biotics Export Date : September, 2026
