Burke: Boechera puberula vs. Boechera cusickii

	Boechera puberula	Boechera cusickii
	Blue Mountain rockcress, hoary rockcress	Cusick's rockcress
Habit	Short-lived perennials, from a crown not woody; stems simple from each caudex branch, 20-63 cm tall, pubescence dense near base with short-stalked trichomes, 3-8-rayed, to 0.3 mm, pubescence similar towards ends of stems.	Low, tufted perennial from a branched crown, the 1-several stems ascending or erect, 1-2.5 dm. tall, with prominent stiff, spreading, simple or forked hairs at the base, rarely glabrous above.
Leaves	Basal leaves oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 1.5-5 mm broad, margins typically toothed, not ciliate, densely pubescent above and beneath with 5-12-rayed trichomes on short-stalks and up to 0.2 mm; cauline leaves 7-45, hiding the stem near base, lobe-like appendages at base absent or 0.7-3 mm, surfaces pubescent towards ends of stems.	Basal leaves numerous, linear-oblanceolate, 1-4 cm. long and 1.5-3 mm. broad, narrowed to a slender petiole, usually entire, conspicuously hairy on both surfaces and the margins with stiff, long, simple or forked hairs; cauline leaves alternate, numerous, overlapping, sessile, 1-3 cm. long, pubescent as the basal leaves.
Flowers	Inflorescence usually 10-40-flowered, typically unbranched racemes; fruiting pedicels pendent, curving downward towards ends to horizontally spreading to ascending at base, 4-10 mm, pubescent with trichomes appressed and branched, occasionally slightly secund; flowers ascending to descending; sepals 4, pubescent; petals 4, white to pale purple, 5-9 mm long and 0.8-1.8 mm broad, glabrous; pollen ellipsoid.	Inflorescence of 3- to 25-flowered, simple or occasionally compound racemes, somewhat flat-topped in flower; pedicels stout, 5-12 mm. long, glabrous; sepals 4, purplish, 4-5 mm. long, with soft hairs, not gibbous-based; petals 4, nearly white to deep pink, 6-10 mm. long; stamens 6; style none.
Fruits		Siliques glabrous, 4-7 cm. long and 2-3 mm. broad, 1-nerved to mid-length, strongly veined, ascending, the upper portion often curved until horizontal; seeds in 1 series.
Fruits	Siliques 3-6.5 cm long and 1.9-2.2 mm broad, closely pendent, uncommonly appressed to rachis, generally not curved, with parallel edges; valves pubescent; seeds in 1 series, 1.4-1.8 mm long and 1-1.4 mm broad, with a continuous wing to 0.3 mm broad.

	Boechera puberula	Boechera cusickii
Flowering time	May-July	March-May
Habitat	Rocky slopes and hillsides among sagebrush or open woodlands.	Sagebrush flats to open Ponderosa pine forests, often on lithosol.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to southern Idaho and Utah. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; east-central Washington to Nevada, east to Idaho. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	B. atrorubens, B. calderi, B. cascadensis, B. cusickii, B. divaricarpa, B. drepanoloba, B. grahamii, B. lemmonii, B. lyallii, B. microphylla, B. paddoensis, B. pauciflora, B. paupercula, B. pendulocarpa, B. polyantha, B. retrofracta, B. sparsiflora, B. stricta, B. suffrutescens	B. atrorubens, B. calderi, B. cascadensis, B. divaricarpa, B. drepanoloba, B. grahamii, B. lemmonii, B. lyallii, B. microphylla, B. paddoensis, B. pauciflora, B. paupercula, B. pendulocarpa, B. polyantha, B. puberula, B. retrofracta, B. sparsiflora, B. stricta, B. suffrutescens
Web links	Local floras: CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Boechera cusickii

Blue Mountain rockcress, hoary rockcress

Cusick's rockcress

Habit

Short-lived perennials, from a crown not woody; stems simple from each caudex branch, 20-63 cm tall, pubescence dense near base with short-stalked trichomes, 3-8-rayed, to 0.3 mm, pubescence similar towards ends of stems.

Low, tufted perennial from a branched crown, the 1-several stems ascending or erect, 1-2.5 dm. tall, with prominent stiff, spreading, simple or forked hairs at the base, rarely glabrous above.

Leaves

Basal leaves oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 1.5-5 mm broad, margins typically toothed, not ciliate, densely pubescent above and beneath with 5-12-rayed trichomes on short-stalks and up to 0.2 mm;

cauline leaves 7-45, hiding the stem near base, lobe-like appendages at base absent or 0.7-3 mm, surfaces pubescent towards ends of stems.

Basal leaves numerous, linear-oblanceolate, 1-4 cm. long and 1.5-3 mm. broad, narrowed to a slender petiole, usually entire, conspicuously hairy on both surfaces and the margins with stiff, long, simple or forked hairs;

cauline leaves alternate, numerous, overlapping, sessile, 1-3 cm. long, pubescent as the basal leaves.

Flowers

Inflorescence usually 10-40-flowered, typically unbranched racemes; fruiting pedicels pendent, curving downward towards ends to horizontally spreading to ascending at base, 4-10 mm, pubescent with trichomes appressed and branched, occasionally slightly secund;

flowers ascending to descending;

sepals 4, pubescent;

petals 4, white to pale purple, 5-9 mm long and 0.8-1.8 mm broad, glabrous;

pollen ellipsoid.

Inflorescence of 3- to 25-flowered, simple or occasionally compound racemes, somewhat flat-topped in flower;

pedicels stout, 5-12 mm. long, glabrous;

sepals 4, purplish, 4-5 mm. long, with soft hairs, not gibbous-based;

petals 4, nearly white to deep pink, 6-10 mm. long;

stamens 6;

style none.

Fruits

Siliques glabrous, 4-7 cm. long and 2-3 mm. broad, 1-nerved to mid-length, strongly veined, ascending, the upper portion often curved until horizontal;

seeds in 1 series.

Fruits

Siliques 3-6.5 cm long and 1.9-2.2 mm broad, closely pendent, uncommonly appressed to rachis, generally not curved, with parallel edges;

valves pubescent;

seeds in 1 series, 1.4-1.8 mm long and 1-1.4 mm broad, with a continuous wing to 0.3 mm broad.