There are over 190 vascular plant species on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. This figure does not include algae, mosses, and lichens, which are non-vascular plants. For an island so far north, this number of species constitutes an astonishing variety of plant life. Because of the harsh climate and the short growing season, all the plants are slow growing. They seldom grow higher than 10 cm (4 in)
Draba aizoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, known as yellow whitlow-grass. It is native to Europe where it is found on limestone rocks and walls. In the British Isles it is found only on the Gower Peninsula in Wales.
Draba californica is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, known as the California draba.
Draba densifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known as the denseleaf draba. This small perennial is native to western North America, where it is found in mountain environments above 2000 meters from California to Alaska to Wyoming. The plant forms cushion-like mats of small fleshy, hairy, pointed leaves in rocky crevices and on slopes. If it bolts a stem it is no taller than 15 centimeters. The flowers open in an obvious inflorescence of a few tiny blooms at times, but often appear as a layer on the surface of the mat of tiny leaves. The flowers are bright yellow with petals just a few millimeters wide. The fruit is a flat podlike silique less than a centimeter long.
Draba breweri is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names cushion draba, Brewer's draba, and Brewer's Whitlow grass. With Draba cana now considered a variety of this species, it is distributed throughout parts of northern and western North America, including much of Canada and the western United States. The less widespread var. breweri is limited to mountainous California and western Nevada.
Draba incrassata is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name Sweetwater Mountains draba.
Draba monoensis is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names White Mountains draba and Mono draba.
Draba pterosperma is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name wingedseed draba. It is endemic to Siskiyou County, California, where it is known only from the Marble and Salmon Mountains of the Klamath Range. It is a small perennial herb forming dense mats or cushions of hairy, oval-shaped leaves each no more than a centimeter long. The erect inflorescence bears several white flowers that yield flat oval-shaped siliques containing winged seeds.
Draba sharsmithii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Mt. Whitney draba and Sharsmith's draba.
Draba sierrae is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name Sierra draba. It is endemic to the central Sierra Nevada of California, where it is known from just a few occurrences in rocky alpine habitat. It is a perennial herb forming small, dense cushions of very hairy, oblong or lance-shaped grayish leaves each under centimeter long. The erect inflorescence bears several yellow flowers. The fruit is a flat, twisted, oval-shaped silique under a centimeter long containing a few unwinged seeds.
Draba serpentina is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name serpentine draba. It is endemic to Nevada in the United States, where it occurs in the Snake Range in White Pine County and the Toiyabe Range of Lander County.
Draba ramulosa is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Mt. Belknap draba and Tushar Mountain draba. It is endemic to Utah, where it is known only from Mt. Belknap in the Tushar Mountains in Beaver and Piute Counties.
Draba fladnizensis is a species of plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names arctic draba, Austrian draba, and white arctic whitlow-grass. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring throughout the northern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. It is present in Europe, Asia, and North America from Alaska across northern Canada to Greenland. Its distribution extends south through the higher elevations in the Rocky Mountains to Colorado and Utah. It is common and widespread in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, occurring on several Arctic islands including Baffin, Devon, and Ellesmere Islands. It is named after the Austrian village of Flattnitz, in the Gurktaler Alpen.
Draba exunguiculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names clawless draba and Grays Peak draba. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States.
Draba globosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names beavertip draba, round-fruited draba, and rockcress draba. It is native to the western United States, where it occurs in Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and possibly Colorado.
Physaria fremontii is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name Fremont's bladderpod. It is endemic to Wyoming in the United States, where it occurs only in and around the Wind River Range in Fremont County.
Draba longisiliqua, the long-podded whitlow grass, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to the Caucasus. Despite its common name, it does not resemble, nor is it related to, the true grasses. It is a low-growing evergreen perennial growing to 9 cm (4 in) tall by 25 cm (10 in) wide, forming a cushion of hairy grey leaves with masses of yellow flowers in spring. It is usually grown in an alpine house or scree bed, as it requires excellent drainage and protection from winter wet. The plant is also known to thrive in tufa. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Draba ramosissima, the branched draba, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It has a restricted range, being found only on calcareous cliffs of the Appalachian Mountains, the Kentucky River Palisades, and Middle Tennessee. It is a small perennial herb with racemes of white flowers in the spring.
Draba weberi is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Weber's whitlow-grass and Weber's draba. It is narrowly endemic to Summit and Park Counties, Colorado, where several populations were estimated to total to approximately 300 individuals as of 2012. D. weberi is principally threatened by alterations to its hydrologic environment, owing to its preference for wet, rocky streamside crevices.
Draba norvegica is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) know by the common names Norwegian draba and Norwegian whitlow grass.
