Draba incana, L.

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1964, Flora Europaea - Volume 1. Lycopodiaceae to Platanaceae, Cambridge University Press : 312

38. D. incana L. , Sp. Pl. 643 (1753).

Robust biennial, sometimes perennial, with erect simple or branched leafy stems up to 35 cm. Basal leaves up to 2-5 cm, lanceolate, subobtuse, canescent with unbranched or branched, rarely strictly stellate, hairs; cauline leaves typically numerous. Stem and inflorescencebranches stellate-canescent; inflorescence 10- to 40-flowered; pedicels suberect. Petals 4-5 mm, white; filaments not or little dilated at base. Silicula glabrous (or hairy, var. confusa (Ehrh.) Liljeblad ), oblong-lanceolate, often somewhat twisted. 2 n - 32. Widespread in N. Europe and in the mountains o f W. & C. Europe from the Pyrenees to the E. Alps. Au Br D a Fe G a Hb He Hs Is N o Rs (N, B).

Very variable. Most plants from the Alps differ from northern plants as follows: usually perennial, with several stems; cauline leaves narrower, usually larger than basal leaves; silicula stellately hairy, with longer style. Such plants are called D. stylaris Gay ex Koch , Syn. FI. Germ. ed. 2,1: 70 (1843) ( D. thomasii Koch ); they could equally well be referred to 37. Some plants from the Alps and the Pyrenees, however, with glabrous siliculae, seem to be very similar indeed to some Scandinavian variants of 38.

In Asia and North America there are other taxa related to D. Iurta and D. incana . One of these, D. lanceolata Royle , III. Bot. Himal . Mount. 1: 72 (1834), a perennial with narrow, stellately hairy silicula, has recently been recorded from N. Russia (Poluostrov K ol’skiy). Another plant of this complex, a perennial with lanceolate, acute, glabrous silicula, has been described from N. Russia (Polyostrov K ol’skiy) as D. valida Pissjauk. in Pojark., FI. Murmansk. 3: 370 (1956), non Goodding (1940).