Draba streptobrachia (Twisted Draba, Alpine Whitlow Grass)
Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)

Alpine. Scree. Summer.
Black Bear Pass, July 20, 2008.

Draba streptobrachia is a rare alpine species found only in Colorado in the mountainous counties. It enjoys the same habitat as Draba graminea and Draba crassa and it takes a careful, on the belly examination to distinguish one species from the others. All three plants are found in the thin soils of scree fields. The plant photographed above sent out a root (brown and arched in the center of the photograph) searching for soil. The root failed to find soil but leafed out and flowered anyway; all of the plant in the top half of the photograph above the brown root is free-swinging and is just balanced on rocks.

R. A. Price named this plant after some considerable controversy regarding its distinctness. It was for a time combined with Draba spectabilis. Greek gives us both "strepto" for "twisted" and "brachia" for "arms"; the name refers to the twisted arms of the hairs.