The
photo at right shows a close-up of the tufted basal leaves of lancefruit draba
as photographed near 6900' on the Ridge of Wonders on the eastern slopes of Mt.
Adams..... ......August 12, 2006. Note the numerous star-shaped hairs covering
the leaf surfaces.
Lancefruit draba is a small perennial wildflower with a cluster of basal leaves and a leafless flower stem arising 1-12 cm high. The leaves are linear, oblanceolate or obovate in shape and measure from 5-15 mm long and 1-5 mm wide. They are covered with numerous whitish, star-like hairs. The flower stalks are typically leafless but may have 1-2 tiny, triangular leaves. The stalks may often be glabrous but may also bear a number of star-like hairs.
The racemes are 3-15 flowered. The white petals are 2.5-5 mm long while the pedicels are shorter than the fruits. The fruits are linear to elliptic or narrowly oblong-oblanceolate silicles from 7-12 mm long and 1-2 mm wide. The siliques may be glabrous to covered with star-like hairs (See photo above.). The silicles may also be somewhat contorted in outline.
Lancefruit draba may be found in rock crevices amongst talus and on open rocky ridges in alpine areas in the mountains.
Lancefruit draba may be found from Alaska south the Olympic Mts and Cascade Mts of Washington and south to the Wallowa Mts. of northeastern Oregon. It is found eastward through the mountains of Idaho to the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.
