Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Plant Identification => Plant Identification Questions and Answers => Topic started by: alpinelover on January 03, 2012, 07:59:40 PM

Title: Draba?
Post by: alpinelover on January 03, 2012, 07:59:40 PM
I bought these Draba named as Draba condensata, several years ago, but I 'm not sure of the name.
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Lesley Cox on January 03, 2012, 08:40:20 PM
I don't know that foliage but what a delightful little plant. Perfect for a chunk of tufa. :)
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: hadacekf on January 04, 2012, 06:11:42 PM
I've also condensata Draba. It looks similar to yours.
Look into my website.
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: alpinelover on January 04, 2012, 07:37:57 PM
I don't know that foliage but what a delightful little plant. Perfect for a chunk of tufa. :)

Yes Lesley, it's a great plant in a tufarock.
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: alpinelover on January 04, 2012, 07:39:29 PM
I've also condensata Draba. It looks similar to yours.
Look into my website.

Yes, Franz, that's the same plant. Now, I'm sure, many thanks.
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Diane Clement on January 04, 2012, 08:37:26 PM
Draba condensata is not a valid name as far as I can find.  We get seed with this name donated to the AGS seed exchange every year, but I can not find it any published lists.  This is a name I have been trying to resolve for many years - if anyone can help I would be very grateful. 
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Maggi Young on January 04, 2012, 08:49:54 PM
It is certainly a widely used name.
Might it be connected with this?

Draba daurica f. condensata E.Ekman which Kew gives as a synonym of
Draba glabella Pursh     

The record derives from WCSP (in review) which reports it as a synonym with original publication details: Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 24: 286 1930. ( Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift Utgifven af Svenska Botaniska Foreningen. Stockholm )
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Diane Clement on January 04, 2012, 09:27:43 PM
After tussling with the name for years, I saw the plant pictured in John Richard's diary - he has featured it in 2008 and 2009:
http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Northumberland/+May+/105/ (http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Northumberland/+May+/105/)
http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Northumberland/+April+/193/ (http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Northumberland/+April+/193/)

I then did a bit of research on this name last year.  Some of the following information was given me by John.   

In Flora Europaea, Draba hirta is a synonym for the high arctic Draba glabella, but the mystery plant is not that as Draba glabella has white flowers.  The mystery plant is fairly widely grown, and has been distributed under that name by Josef Jurasek and the Seed Exchanges

The plant in the picture is possibly a Western American or Canadian Rocky plant, similar to D oligosperma, ventosa, exunguiculata, densifolia but is not any of these. 

The only botanical reference that has been tracked was a chromosome count from Greenland material, with D. hirta v. condensata quoted as a synonym (Heilborn 1927).  So the pictured plant may be a Greenland or Canadian yellow flowered relative of D glabella.

Geoffrey Halliday who is an expert on Greenland Flora had never heard of  the epithet condensata at any level for any arctic Draba and there is no such name in the Flora of  North America.   

The mystery remains unresolved.
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: TheOnionMan on January 04, 2012, 10:30:37 PM
Diane, I love a good mystery!  During the workday when I peeked at SRGC Forum, I saw this thread and started doing some research, however, I had to get back to work. ::)  For North America, the only Brassicaceae with the same species name is Physaria condensata (accepted by FNA) + synonyms Lesquerella condensata, L. alpina var. condensata, L. alpina ssp. condensata.  Not sure if this is the source of a possible mixup with Draba "condensata" but I suspect it is unrelated, but I'll look at some of my old floras tonight. 

It is more likely that "condensata" came from Draba daurica f. condensata that Maggi pointed out, and that it became shortened to D. condensata along the way... and who knows, the plant under that name might not have any validity whatsoever nor no relationship to a plant under the old description of Draba daurica f. condensata, just a well-established horticultural misnomer/mis-ID that lives on in perpetuity, similar to the way the NOT-Allium-loratum is well established in the large commercial bulb trade, while the true dwarf white Allium loratum lives in quiet alpine solitude away from any bulb farms.
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Diane Clement on January 04, 2012, 10:58:33 PM
Diane, I love a good mystery!
Pleased to have your input, Mark.

Quote
For North America, the only Brassicaceae with the same species name is Physaria condensata (accepted by FNA) + synonyms Lesquerella condensata, L. alpina var. condensata, L. alpina ssp. condensata.  Not sure if this is the source of a possible mixup with Draba "condensata" but I suspect it is unrelated, but I'll look at some of my old floras tonight.  
I've already been down this route, and they are not connected.

Quote
It is more likely that "condensata" came from Draba daurica f. condensata that Maggi pointed out, and that it became shortened to D. condensata along the way... and who knows, the plant under that name might not have any validity whatsoever nor no relationship to a plant under the old description of Draba daurica f. condensata, just a well-established horticultural misnomer/mis-ID that lives on in perpetuity,
Yes, the D daurica route leads us back to D glabella, a possible solution, except there is no publication of a yellow flowered form of this species.  I'm a bit more inclined to your well-established horticultural misnomer ...

Now if you like a good mystery, you might like to start on Townsendia hirsuta  - what is going around under this invalid (unpublished) name??
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: TheOnionMan on January 05, 2012, 02:29:21 AM

Now if you like a good mystery, you might like to start on Townsendia hirsuta    - what is going around under this invalid (unpublished) name??

Most likely another misapplied or concocted name of no validity, only existing in horticulture. There it is, showing up on seed exchange lists, for sale from commercial seed companies, and referenced and pictured on plant-related web sites.  I found the following link depicting Townsendia "hirsuta", the photo is surely an Aster and not a Townsendia:  
http://www.filuna.cz/picture/Filunafotky/Mate%E8nice/Townsendia%20hirsuta.jpg

I'm happy to be proven wrong.
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Great Moravian on January 17, 2012, 01:59:09 PM
Draba condensata photographed on Mt Evans, Colorado might be the plant.
http://www.photosbygerhard.com/detail.php?offset=16&class=Plants
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Lori S. on January 17, 2012, 02:39:30 PM
Please refer to the preceding entries re. "Draba condensata":
Draba condensata is not a valid name as far as I can find.  We get seed with this name donated to the AGS seed exchange every year, but I can not find it any published lists.  This is a name I have been trying to resolve for many years - if anyone can help I would be very grateful. 
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: TheOnionMan on January 17, 2012, 03:47:14 PM
Draba condensata photographed on Mt Evans, Colorado might be the plant.
http://www.photosbygerhard.com/detail.php?offset=16&class=Plants

The Photos by Gerhard has made a mistake, there is nothing by the name of Draba condensata on Mt. Evans, nor in Colorado, nor anywhere in North America. However, this person's post with a misidentification is very effective at perpetuating the mistake.

For a quick view of what Draba species exist in North America, use the following link.  You can familiarize yourself which state is Colorado in the map, but click on a species, then mouse over the filled in States and it will tell you what State it is.  Once you know which State is Colorado, at a glance you can find a list of species of Draba that live in Colorado.

USDA list of Draba species with distribution maps:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DRABA

Lori, I will be starting a similar thread on NARGS about fictitious plants or mislabeled plants that only exist in Horticulture :D
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Diane Clement on January 17, 2012, 04:53:49 PM
The Photos by Gerhard has made a mistake, there is nothing by the name of Draba condensata on Mt. Evans, nor in Colorado, nor anywhere in North America. However, this person's post with a misidentification is very effective at perpetuating the mistake.

The picture may be the same as the mystery plant.  So now the big question, is - what is the correct name of the plant pictured in the link?  Panyoti will surely know, if, indeed the picture was taken on Mount Evans, this bit is probably correct. 
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: TheOnionMan on January 17, 2012, 05:56:04 PM
I have Facebook contacted Panayoti, will report back on what species he thinks that Mt. Evans one is... several species grow up there.
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Maggi Young on January 17, 2012, 06:08:23 PM
I have Facebook contacted Panayoti, will report back on what species he thinks that Mt. Evans one is... several species grow up there.

 Very up to date of you, McMark.... I was satisfied with an email!  ;D (Since I'm fresh out of carrier pigeons)
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: TheOnionMan on January 18, 2012, 10:10:44 PM
Thought it might be the quickest way to get to PK, as he's a FB fanatic. He hasn't responded to my query yet, he might have missed it, although we "facebooked" on some other threads in the interim.
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Maggi Young on January 18, 2012, 10:13:38 PM
He must be off gallivanting... no reply to my email  either.... he is a frightful gadabout.... who knows where he might be!  :)
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: alpinelover on January 29, 2012, 09:32:18 PM
Another draba. I bought this one, named as Draba cappadocica. I'm not sure of it.
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Maggi Young on January 29, 2012, 09:51:48 PM
Very nice rock, Frankie  8)
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Leiomerus on February 02, 2012, 09:57:00 AM
Hi,

Now that we are into Drabas, I have a Draba, acquired 20 years ago but I don't know the name. I personally think it's Draba brunifolia ssp. olympica, but I'm not sure. Any Draba experts ?
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Leiomerus on February 04, 2012, 02:03:09 PM
Quote
Another draba. I bought this one, named as Draba cappadocica. I'm not sure of it.

Hi Alpinelover,

According to me your Draba looks more like Draba aizoides, it's certainly not Draba cappadocica. Draba cappadocica has more a grey leaf. ;)
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Martinr on February 24, 2012, 10:55:38 AM
I have a plant labelled D. sphaerallea and a search has also uncovered reference to D. sphaeralea and D. sphaeralcea but I can find no valid reference to any of these. Are they all corruptions of D. sphaeroides? I will get a picture when the flowers open if 1) the caterpillar I haven't found yet leaves any flower stems intact and 2) I'm physically capable of holding a camera in two hands when they open (don't ask!). It was going to be my first show plant of the year till the caterpillar got it >:(
Title: Re: Draba?
Post by: Maggi Young on February 24, 2012, 12:40:25 PM
 A mis-written Draba sphaerula perhaps?
Caterpillars never care what the plant is, do they?... only that you want to preserve it and they want to eat it.  :'(
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