Survey of the vascular plants of Alert (Ellesmere Island, Canada), a polar desert at the northern tip of the Americas Author Desjardins, Émilie Author Lai, Sandra Author Payette, Serge Author Dubé, Martin Author Sokoloff, Paul C. Author St-Louis, Annie Author Poulin, Marie-Pier Author Legros, Jade Author Sirois, Luc Author Vézina, François Author Tam, Andrew Author Berteaux, Dominique text Check List 2021 2021-02-09 17 1 181 225 http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/17.1.181 journal article 10.15560/17.1.181 1809-127X Draba subcapitata Simmons Figure 5F Materials examined. CANADA – Nunavut • Ellesmere Island , CFS Alert ; 82°28′51″N , 062°10′58″W ; 86 m a.s.l. ; 15 Aug. 2019 ; habitat: xeric, with till and rocks as substrate, and sparse dominance of Saxifraga oppositifolia ; QFA0635585 , CAN . Identification. Plants 1–2 cm high; herbaceous; caespitose. Taproots present. Stems 0.5–1.5 cm long; erect or ascending; hairy, with simple and branched hairs (2–4 rays: T , V , and dendritic). Leaves basal; alternate or whorled; petiolate or subsessile. Petioles 1.0– 1.5 mm long; slightly winged; margins glabrous or ciliate, with simple hairs. Basal leaf blades 3.7–5.0 mm long, 1–2 mm wide; linear or narrowly obtrullate; bases attenuate; midvein prominent; abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely hairy, with simple and branched hairs (2 rays: Y and T ); adaxial surface glabrous; margins slightly revolute and ciliate, with simple long hairs; apices acute or obtuse. Inflorescence a raceme, with 2 or 3 flowers; not or slightly elongating as the fruit matures. Pedicels 1–2 mm long; hairy. Sepals 4; 1.2–1.6 mm long, 0.7–0.8 mm wide; ovate or oblong; green or purple, with hyaline margins; surface hairy, with simple hairs; margins glabrous; apices obtuse. Petals 4; 1.3–2.2 mm , long; 0.8–1.1 mm wide; obovate; unlobed, slightly lobed, or undulating; white. Androecium with 6 stamens and 0.3–0.4 mm long anthers. Gynoecium with 1 style and 1 stigma. Fruit a silique; 3–5 mm long, 2.0– 2.3 mm wide; ovate or elliptic; slightly bulged; dark purple; glabrous or sparsely hairy, with simple hairs. Styles persisting in fruit 0.05–0.30 mm long, 0.2–0.3 mm wide. Stigmas 0.2–0.3 mm wide; as wide as the styles. Draba subcapitata differs from the five other whiteflowered Draba species present on Ellesmere Island ( Aiken et al. 2007 ; GBIF 2020) by having smaller petals (≤ 2.5 mm long and ≤1.0 mm wide; in contrast to D. arctica , D. cinerea , D. fladnizensis , D. lactea , D. nivalis ; Aiken et al. 2007 ), and by the combination of predominantly simple and branched hairs (2–4 rays) on leaves and stems (in contrast to the presence of hairs with>4 rays in D. arctica , D. lactea , and D. nivalis ; Garneau and Sabourin 2018). Caryophyllaceae – Pink family