Draba mogollonica (Mogollon Whitlowgrass)

Draba mogollonica (Mogollon Whitlowgrass)

Photograph by Russ Kleinman, WNMU Dept. of Natural Sciences and the Dale A. Zimmerman Herbarium at www.gilaflora.com (2010)
Family
BRASSICACEAE
Scientific Name with Author
Draba mogollonica Greene
Synonyms
NONE
Common Name
Mogollon Whitlowgrass
Agency Status
USFWS State of NM USFS BLM Navajo Nation State Rank Global Rank R-E-D Code NMRPTC Status Strategy Status
S3 G3 1-1-3 R SS
Rare Plant Conservation Scorecard Summary
Overall Conservation Status Documented Threats Actions Needed
WEAKLY CONSERVED

No Information

document rarity
County Map
Counties
Description
Winter annuals or biennials (perennial?); taproots enlarged above; stems 1 to several, usually with several branches 1.5-3.5 dm long, pubescent at base with simple trichomes, glabrous above ;leaves mostly in flat basal rosettes, denticulate to dentate, uniformly pubescent with stalked cruciform trichomes, petiolate, apex rounded to obtuse, (2)4-8(9) cm long, 1-2.5 cm wide, stem leaves 1-3, much reduced, lanceolate, entire or denticulate, usually bracteolate; inflorescences loose, 20- to 50-flowered; petals 4, bright yellow; fruiting pedicels widely spreading, glabrous, lower usually slightly longer than siliques, 1-2 cm long; siliques linear-elliptic, contorted, 7-18 mm long, glabrous or rarely sparsely pubescent with appressed branched trichomes; styles 1-2.25 mm. Flowers April to May.
Similar Species
Draba mogollonica has been confused with D. standleyi, probably because both have relatively long basal leaves, and long-styled siliques. Draba mogollonica is a winter annual or biennial, its crown does not have marcescent (withered but persistent) leaf bases, and has a flat rosette of basal leaves, whereas D. standleyi is a strong perennial whose crown has persistent leaf bases and has tufts of narrowly oblanceolate, usually ciliate basal leaves. There are also other minor differences (see following table).

Draba

LONGEVITY

CROWN/STEM

STEM TRICHOMES

BASAL LEAVES

CAULINE LEAVES

FRUITING PEDICELS

STYLES

mogollonica

annual/ biennial

tap rooted; no marcescent leaf bases

simple below; glabrous above

flat rosette; 4-9 cm long

1-3, reduced

widely spreading, 1-2 cm long

1-2.25 mm

petrophila

perennial

marcescent leaf bases; stems relatively stout

cruciform to dendritic

numerous; 3-8 cm long

3-30, usually overlapping

4-12 mm

1.5-3 mm

standleyi

perennial

marcescent leaf bases; stems very slender

simple or forked & glabrous above or all glabrous

tufted; 1.5-8 cm long

1-8, reduced, remote

erect to divaricately spreading, 8-13 mm

1-2 mm
Distribution
New Mexico, Catron, Grant, Sierra, and Socorro counties.
Habitat
Cool, moist northern slopes of mountains, ravines and canyons on volcanic rocks and soil in montane forests; 1,500-2,900 m (5,000-9,000 ft).
Remarks
Distributed in several counties in southwestern New Mexico, sometimes in large populations. The species may be more abundant than is now known because of the relative inaccessibility of its habitat.
Conservation Considerations
Current land uses apparently do not pose a threat to this species.
Important Literature

*New Mexico Native Plants Protection Advisory Committee. 1984. A handbook of rare and endemic plants of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.

Greene, E.L. 1881. New species of plants from New Mexico. Botanical Gazette 6:157.

Rollins, R.C. 1993. The Cruciferae of continental North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.

Information Compiled By
David Bleakly 1999

For distribution maps and more information, visit Natural Heritage New Mexico