Boechera arcuata |
Boechera fecunda |
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arching rockcress, elegant rockcress |
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Habit | Perennials; usually long-lived; sexual; caudex often woody (well-developed). | Perennials; usually long-lived; sexual; caudex often woody. |
Stems | usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette, elevated on woody base or from ground surface, (2–)3–8 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 2-rayed and simple, to 1 mm, pubescent distally. |
1 to several per caudex branch, arising from center and margin of rosette, slightly elevated on woody base or from near ground surface, 0.8–3 dm, densely pubescent throughout, trichomes short-stalked, 5–10-rayed, 0.1–0.2 mm. |
Basal leaves | blade linear to oblanceolate, 2–7(–12) mm wide, margins usually entire, rarely denticulate, ciliate along petiole, trichomes to 1.5 mm, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes usually short-stalked, 2–5-rayed (rarely some simple), 0.4–0.8 mm. |
blade linear-oblanceolate, 1–5 mm wide, margins entire or with few teeth subapically, not ciliate, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 5–10-rayed, 0.1–0.2 mm. |
Cauline leaves | 10–30(–45), often concealing stem proximally; blade auricles 2–5(–6) mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves pubescent. |
5–18, concealing stem proximally; blade auricles 0.5–2.5 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves densely pubescent. |
Racemes | 12–50(–70)-flowered, usually unbranched. |
8–35-flowered, usually unbranched. |
Flowers | ascending at anthesis; sepals pubescent; petals purple, 9–14 × 2–4 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent (trichomes abaxially); pollen ellipsoid. |
erect to ascending at anthesis; sepals pubescent; petals purplish, 8–12 × 2.5–4.5 mm; pollen ellipsoid. |
Fruiting pedicels | usually divaricate-ascending, rarely horizontal, gently recurved or straight, 8–22 mm, pubescent, trichomes subappressed, 2–4-rayed. |
erect to ascending, straight, 5–15 mm, pubescent, trichomes appressed, branched. |
Fruits | usually divaricate-ascending, rarely horizontal, not appressed to rachis, not secund, usually curved, edges parallel, (6–)8–13 cm × 1.5–2.2 mm; valves glabrous or trichomes relatively few, scattered; ovules 90–250 per ovary; style 0.01–0.5 mm. |
erect to ascending, often appressed to rachis, not secund, straight, edges parallel, 3–5.8 cm × 1.4–1.8 mm; valves densely pubescent throughout; ovules 34–68 per ovary; style 1–1.5 mm. |
Seeds | uniseriate or sub-biseriate, 1.5–1.7 × 1–1.2 mm; wing continuous, 0.1–0.2 mm wide. |
uniseriate, 1–1.5 × 0.8–1.2 mm; wing continuous, 0.5–0.1 mm wide. |
Boechera arcuata |
Boechera fecunda |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–Jun. | Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Habitat | Rocky hillsides and cliffs in pine forests and chaparral | Rocky ground in sagebrush areas |
Elevation | 300-1800 m (1000-5900 ft) | 1200-1800 m (3900-5900 ft) |
Distribution |
CA
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MT |
Discussion | Although usually treated as a variety of Arabis (Boechera) sparsiflora (e.g., R. C. Rollins 1993), B. arcuata is easily distinguished from that species by having rachises and fruiting pedicels pubescent with subappressed, 2–4-rayed trichomes and a geographic range limited to southern and western California. By contrast, B. sparsiflora has rachises and fruiting pedicels with spreading, usually simple trichomes (sometimes glabrescent) and an allopatric distribution north and east of the Sierra Nevada. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. Boechera fecunda is a distinctive sexual species known from Ravali and Silver Bow counties. Boechera fecunda is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 365. | FNA vol. 7, p. 377. |
Parent taxa | Brassicaceae > tribe Boechereae > Boechera | Brassicaceae > tribe Boechereae > Boechera |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Streptanthus arcuatus, Arabis holboellii var. arcuata, Arabis maxima, Arabis sparsiflora var. arcuata | Arabis fecunda |
Name authority | (Nuttall) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 64. (2006) | (Rollins) Dorn: Brittonia 55: 3. (2003) |
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