The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links
Boechera subpinnatifida

ashy rockcress

sicklepod rockcress

Habit Plants long-lived perennial; with woody caudices. Plants biennial or short-lived perennial; without woody caudices.
Stems

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

3–8 dm; lower parts densely pubescent with simple and short-stalked, 2-rayed trichomes to 1.5 mm; 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.

oblanceolate or linear-oblanceolate, 3–12 mm wide;

margins entire or rarely dentate, ciliate proximally;

surfaces densely pubescent with simple and short-stalked, 2–5-rayed trichomes.

Cauline leaves

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

(9)15–35, often concealing stem proximally, bases auriculate; uppermost glabrous or ciliate.

Inflorescences

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

12–50-flowered, fruiting pedicels ascending or horizontal; straight or slightly recurved, 3–10(18) mm, with spreading, mostly simple trichomes, 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 7–13 × 2–5 mm, lavender to purple, rarely white;

pollen ellipsoid;

ovules 90–170 per ovary;

styles 0.1–0.3 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 or rarely horizontal, not appressed to rachis, not secund, usually curved, 5–13 cm × 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, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm;

wings continuous, 0.1–0.2 mm wide.

2n

=14.

=14.

Boechera subpinnatifida

Boechera sparsiflora

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.

Clay hills, meadows, rocky slopes, sandy soil in sagebrush and mountain shrub communities, open conifer forests. Flowering Apr–Jun. 400–2500 m. BR, BW, ECas, Lava, Owy, Sisk. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to British Columbia, southeast to UT. Native.

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