Arabis brevicaulis Jafri
Perennial, caespitose, 2-4 (-5) cm tall, in fruits, densely pubescent with short branched hairs only. Radical leaves rosulate, 4-10 mm long, 1.5-3 (-5) mm broad, obovate or oblanceolate, cuneate, sessile, entire; cauline leaves 0-3 (-4) only, 1.5-4.5 mm long, 1-2 mm broad, ovate-oblong, semiamplexicaul, entire. Racemes 5-10-flowered, ebracteate, somewhat congested in fruit. Flowers c. 3 mm across, white; pedicels up to 4 mm long in fruit, spreading. Sepals 1.5 mm long. Petals c. 3 mm long. Siliquae (almost mature) c. 17 mm long, 1 mm broad, linear, subcompressed, acute, glabrous; valves 1-veined; style 0.5 mm long with minute depressed stigma; seeds c. 15 in each locule, less than a mm long.
Fl. Per.: June- July.
Type: B-9 Karakorum; Zangia harar, Hunza valley, 3600 m., 5. VII. 1939, R. S. Russell 1066 (BM).
Distribution: Known from the type gathering only.
Very similar to the previous species but plants caespitose, very short, 3-5 cm tall in fruits, with 0-3 cauline leaves only, shorter and spreading siliquae.
Extremely small size and caespitose habit has compelled me to keep it separate from the previous species. Although Russell 1060, cited under the previous species, is from the same place as this species, but looks entirely different from it. However, looking into the very variable nature of the previous species, possibility of its being only a form of that species cannot be ignored.