Alaska Whitlow-grass, Slender Draba

Slender draba is a small winter annual or biennial wildflower with one to several simple to branched flowerstems arising 10-25 cm high from a cluster of 10-25 basal leaves. The basal leaves are oblanceolate to obovate in shape and measure from 1-4 cm long and 4-8 mm wide. Both leaf surfaces bear at least some spreading, simple to forked hairs. The lower stem may have some short spreading hairs, but the upper stems are glabrous. One to eight leaves may be found on the stems (more typically one or two). These be come reduced in size upwards on the stem and are ovate to ovate-lanceolate or ellliptic-lanceolate in shape.

The infloresences of slender draba may make-up about one-half the height of the plant. The racemes are at the ends of the branches and contain 10-30 flowers. The slender pedicels are equal to or longer than the length of the fruits. The 4 sepals are yellowish green and are covered with some spreading hairs (See photo at right.). The 4 yellow to cream petals average about 3 mm in length, and may fade to white with age. The glabrous fruits are silicles which are linear to narrowly oblong in outline. They measure 8-12 mm long and 1.5-2.3 mm wide. The style at the tip of the silicle is very short, measuring at most 0.1 mm long.

Slender draba may be found in from the foothills to near timberline in the mountains on vernally moist banks, meadows, and slopes.

Slender draba may be found through the mountains from Alaska south to California and east to Alberta, and then south through the Rocky Mts. to Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.