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Boechera subpinnatifida

ashy rockcress

Brewer's rockcress

Habit Plants long-lived perennial; with woody caudices. Plants long-lived perennial; with woody caudices.
Stems

1–4(5) dm; lower parts with short-stalked, 2–6-rayed trichomes; upper parts sparsely pubescent.

0.6–3.5(4.5) dm; lower parts with simple and sometimes long-stalked, 2-rayed trichomes; upper parts sparsely pubescent or glabrous.

Basal leaves

narrowly oblanceolate, 1–4(5) mm wide;

margins prominently dentate to subpinnatifid; entire on those of sterile shoots;

surfaces densely pubescent with short-stalked; (2)4–9-rayed trichomes, ciliate near petiole bases with simple or 2-rayed trichomes.

oblanceolate, 3–7(11) mm wide;

margins entire or dentate, ciliate proximally;

surfaces densely pubescent with simple and long-stalked, 2–4-rayed trichomes.

Cauline leaves

(10)20–60, often concealing stem throughout, bases uppermost auriculate and sparsely to moderately pubescent.

5–15(28), often concealing stem proximally, bases auriculate; uppermost pubescent.

Inflorescences

8–30-flowered, fruiting pedicels reflexed, strongly recurved, 5–15 mm, with appressed, branched trichomes.

7–20(30)-flowered, fruiting pedicels ascending to divaricate-ascending; straight, 3–25 mm, with spreading; simple and 2-rayed trichomes or rarely glabrous.

Flowers

sexual, divaricate-ascending to pendent at anthesis;

sepals glabrous;

petals 9–14 × 1.5–3 mm, purple or rarely lavender;

pollen ellipsoid;

ovules 24–42 per ovary;

styles 0.5–1 mm.

sexual, ascending at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals 7–12 × 2–4 mm, purple or rarely lavender, glabrous;

pollen ellipsoid;

ovules 48–96 per ovary;

styles 0.05–0.3 mm.

Fruits

pendent, not appressed to rachis, not secund; straight to slightly curved; (3.5)5–8 cm × 2–3 mm;

margins parallel, pubescent.

ascending to divaricate-ascending, not appressed to rachis, not secund, 3.5–10 cm × 1.5–2.2 mm;

margins parallel, glabrous or rarely sparsely pubescent.

Seeds

uniseriate, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

wings continuous or at both ends, 0.4–0.8 mm wide.

uniseriate, 1.2–1.7 × 1–1.2 mm;

wings continuous, 0.1–0.2 mm wide.

2n

=14.

Boechera subpinnatifida

Boechera breweri

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Talus, rock outcrops, gravelly soil, sagebrush-grassland communities. Flowering Mar–Jun. 100–1800 m. Lava, Sisk. CA, ID, NV; southeast to UT. Native.

California and Oregon. 2 subspecies.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 457
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 449
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Sibling taxa
B. acutina, B. atrorubens, B. breweri, B. calderi, B. cascadensis, B. cobrensis, B. covillei, B. cusickii, B. davidsonii, B. divaricarpa, B. drepanoloba, B. hastatula, B. horizontalis, B. howellii, B. koehleri, B. lemmonii, B. lyallii, B. microphylla, B. paddoensis, B. pauciflora, B. paupercula, B. pendulocarpa, B. pinetorum, B. platysperma, B. pratincola, B. puberula, B. rectissima, B. retrofracta, B. rollei, B. sparsiflora, B. stricta, B. suffrutescens
B. acutina, B. atrorubens, B. calderi, B. cascadensis, B. cobrensis, B. covillei, B. cusickii, B. davidsonii, B. divaricarpa, B. drepanoloba, B. hastatula, B. horizontalis, B. howellii, B. koehleri, B. lemmonii, B. lyallii, B. microphylla, B. paddoensis, B. pauciflora, B. paupercula, B. pendulocarpa, B. pinetorum, B. platysperma, B. pratincola, B. puberula, B. rectissima, B. retrofracta, B. rollei, B. sparsiflora, B. stricta, B. subpinnatifida, B. suffrutescens
Subordinate taxa
B. breweri ssp. breweri, B. breweri ssp. shastaensis
Synonyms Arabis subpinnatifida Arabis breweri
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