Some of the specimens reach very near to Draba affghanica Boiss.
In the protologue of Draba rockii, Schulz (Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 10: 555. 1929) compared his new species with D. involucrata, and he was correct in pointing out the differences between the two taxa. However, had the type collection of D. rockii been compared with material of D. oreades, no differences would have been found. Indeed, D. rockii is indistinguishable from any collection that Schulz in his monograph cited under D. oreades var. oreades or D. oreades prol. chinensis. The records in FRPS, Fl. Qinghai. (1: 442. 1997), and Fl. Xinjiang. (2(2): 117. 1995) of D. rockii from Qinghai and Xinjiang are likely based on misidentified plants of D. korshinskyi.
The allegedly slightly longer scapes and slightly larger flowers and fruits that Schulz used to distinguish Draba oreades var. oreades from prol. chinensis are unrealistic. In fact, there is a considerable overlap in every character, and the type collection of prol. chinensis can easily be accommodated under var. oreades.
Schulz indicated that both Draba oreades var. ciliolata and var. dasycarpa are distinguished from the rest of the species by having pubescent instead of glabrous fruits. However, the holotype specimen of var. ciliolata has four plants, of which three have pubescent fruits and one has glabrous ones, whereas the holotype of var. dasycarpa has four plants in flower/fruit, of which one has pilose fruits and three have glabrous ones. These facts clearly show the artificiality of Schulz's varieties.
Plants that are completely glabrous, which correspond very well with the holotype of D. qinghaiensis, occur sporadically in China and in bordering countries. They are indistinguishable from typical plants of D. oreades in other characters and, therefore, the two taxa are here considered to be conspecific.
Draba alpina Linnaeus was recorded from China in several treatments (e.g., FRPS, p. 135; Fl. Qinghai. 1: 439. 1995; Fl. Xinjiang. 2(2): 114. 1995; Fl. Xizang. 2: 348. 1985; Fl. Yunnan. 6: 39. 1995), but these records are based on misidentified plants of D. oreades. True D. alpina is distributed in arctic and subarctic Alaska, N Canada, Europe, Mongolia, and Russia (Far East and Siberia), and the present authors have examined no Chinese material of it. Draba alpina is easily distinguished from D. oreades by having fruits typically oblong and flattened, instead of ovate and basally inflated.