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Boechera subpinnatifida

ashy rockcress

small-flowered rockcress

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

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

0.3–1.5 dm; lower parts with abundant simple and short-stalked, 2–4-rayed trichomes; upper parts glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

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.

linear-oblanceolate, 1–3(5) mm wide;

margins entire, ciliate proximally, densely pubescent with simple and short-stalked, 2–6-rayed trichomes.

Cauline leaves

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

2–6, rarely concealing stem, not or rarely auriculate; uppermost glabrous.

Inflorescences

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

3–8-flowered, fruiting pedicels erect; straight, 3–9 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

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; erect at anthesis;

sepals glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

petals 4–6(7) × 1–2 mm, lavender to purplish;

pollen ellipsoid;

ovules 24–40 per ovary;

styles 0.2–1 mm.

Fruits

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

margins parallel, pubescent.

erect, appressed to rachis, not secund; straight, 2.5–5.5 cm × 1.5–1.7(2) mm;

margins parallel, glabrous.

Seeds

uniseriate, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

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

uniseriate or rarely subbiseriate, 1.5–2(2.5) × 1–1.4 mm;

wings continuous, 0.3–1 mm wide.

2n

=14.

Boechera subpinnatifida

Boechera paupercula

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.

Talus slopes, gravelly soil, rocky outcrops. Flowering May–Sep. 2300–2800 m. BR, BW. CA, ID, WA; east to WY. Native.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 457
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 454
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. 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. pendulocarpa, B. pinetorum, B. platysperma, B. pratincola, B. puberula, B. rectissima, B. retrofracta, B. rollei, B. sparsiflora, B. stricta, B. subpinnatifida, B. suffrutescens
Synonyms Arabis subpinnatifida Arabis lyallii, Arabis lyallii var. nubigena
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