Home/Species/ Rockcress Draba

Draba globosa

Payson

Rockcress Draba

G3Vulnerable Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G3VulnerableGlobal Rank

MediumThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.135778

Element CodePDBRA11350

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderCapparales

FamilyBrassicaceae

GenusDraba

Synonyms

Draba apiculataC. L. Hitchc.Draba densifolia var. apiculata(C. L. Hitchc.) Welsh

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2023-01-06

Change Date1994-10-20

Edition Date2023-01-06

Edition AuthorsFayette, Kim, rev. B. Heidel (1999), rev. S. Spackman and D. Anderson (2000), rev. A. Tomaino (2009), rev. C. Nordman (2023).

Threat ImpactMedium

Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences21 - 80

Rank Reasons

Draba globosa occurs in alpine areas in Colorado, southwestern Montana, Wyoming, northern Utah and central Idaho. There are approximately 50 extant occurrences, but many have 50 or fewer plants. Threat impacts are medium, including climate change and recreation impacts to some occurrences. It may be protected from some threats by its mostly inaccessible alpine habitat, an d many occurrences are on protected lands, such as Wilderness Areas.

Range Extent Comments

Draba globosa occurs in the Rocky Mountain region of the western United States, it is regionally endemic to alpine areas of central Idaho, southwestern Montana, northern Utah, western and southern Wyoming, and central Colorado. The range extent is estimated to be 375,000 square kilometers (NatureServe 2023, SEINet 2023).

Occurrences Comments

There are about 50 occurrences or Draba globosa which are believed to be extant, and about 20 additional occurrences which are considered historic, or not verified as extant in the last few decades (NatureServe 2023).

Threat Impact Comments

An assessment for the U.S. Forest Service suggested that recreational use, including off trail hiking (especially in Colorado), and alpine ski area development may threaten some populations (Holmgren et al. 2005, Ladyman 2004). This species may be primarily protected from human threats by its mostly inaccessible habitat. It may be threatened by grazing by introduced mountain goats in Utah, and in the future by invasive exotic plants, which spread into alpine areas. Since this plant occurs in areas which remain wet from melting high elevation snowpack, the long-term decline in Rocky Mountain alpine snowpack, associated with climate change is a threat (Ladyman 2004).

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Draba globosa is a small, stemless, herbaceous perennial, which forms cushions that are up to 20 cm wide and which consist of basal leaf rosettes that arise from a branched rootcrown. The lance-shaped to narrowly spoon-shaped leaves are 3-6 mm long and have a few stiff marginal hairs but are otherwise glabrous. 2-10 small yellow or sometimes white flowers are borne on top of a stalk that reaches up to 45 mm high. Each flower has 4 separate petals that are ca. 4 mm long, 4 separate sepals, and 4 long and 2 short stamens. The glabrous, compressed egg-shaped capsule, or silicle, is 3-8 mm long with a style projecting 0.2-0.7 mm from the tip.

Diagnostic Characteristics

The genus Draba is composed of a great number of diminutive plants that are difficult to distinguish. Of the mat-forming perennial species, Draba globosa can be distinguished by the combination of having nearly glabrous leaves and glabrous fruits with a style greater than 0.2 mm. A hand lens or microscope and plant identification manual are essential for species determination.

Habitat

Draba globosa occurs in alpine tundra and less commonly in sub-alpine zones, on both limestone and granitic soils, in rock pockets, open clay areas, swales, talus, alpine tundra, and meadows (Ladyman 2004, Rollins 1993), often in long persistent snowbeds (Goodrich and Huber 2016). It is known from 2743 - 3962 m (9000 - 13,000 feet) elevation, but it is mostly found at 3200 - 3700 m (10,500 - 12,140 feet) elevation (Ladyman 2004).

Reproduction

Draba globosa is an apomictic species. It is not known to what extent sexual reproduction occurs, but there is high genetic similarity within populations (Ladyman 2004).

Terrestrial Habitats

Grassland/herbaceousAlpineTundraBare rock/talus/scree

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN3

Province	Rank	Native
Colorado	S1	Yes
Utah	S3	Yes
Wyoming	S3	Yes
Idaho	S2	Yes
Montana	S2	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
1 - Residential & commercial development	Small (1-10%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
1.3 - Tourism & recreation areas	Small (1-10%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activities	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weather	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alteration	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL, Long-lived

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (1)

Utah (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Lakes	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	121,967

References (12)

Colorado Natural Heritage Program. 1998. Biological Conservation Datasystem. Colorado State University, Ft. 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 A. Huber. 2016. Uinta Flora, A Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Uinta Basin and Uinta Mountains. Edited by Steve W. Chadde. Orchard Innovations, from Goodrich and Huber's 2016 update of Uinta Flora, USDA Forest Service.
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.
Idaho Conservation Data Center. 1998. Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise, Idaho.
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Ladyman, J.A.R. 2004. <i>Draba globosa</i> Payson (beavertip draba): a technical conservation assessment. [Online]. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Online. Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5206840.pdf (Accessed 2023).
Montana Natural Heritage Program. 1998. Biological Diversity Datasystem. Helena, Montana, USA.
NatureServe. 2023. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Rollins, R.C. 1993a. The Cruciferae of continental North America: Systematics of the mustard family from the Arctic to Panama. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford, California. 976 pp.
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2023. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2023).
Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. 1998. University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.

Draba globosa

Description

Diagnostic Characteristics

Habitat

Reproduction

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