Boechera arcuata |
Boechera johnstonii |
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arching rockcress, elegant rockcress |
Johnston's rockcress |
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Habit | Perennials; usually long-lived; sexual; caudex often woody (well-developed). | Perennials; long-lived; (cespitose); sexual; caudex 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. |
usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette near ground surface, 0.5–2 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 4–10-rayed, 0.07–0.15 mm, sparsely to densely pubescent distally. |
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 narrowly oblanceolate, 1.5–4 mm wide, margins entire, not ciliate, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 6–14-rayed, 0.07–0.15 mm. |
Cauline leaves | 10–30(–45), often concealing stem proximally; blade auricles 2–5(–6) mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves pubescent. |
4–10, often concealing stem proximally; blade auricles absent, surfaces of distalmost leaves densely pubescent. |
Racemes | 12–50(–70)-flowered, usually unbranched. |
10–18-flowered, unbranched. |
Flowers | ascending at anthesis; sepals pubescent; petals purple, 9–14 × 2–4 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent (trichomes abaxially); pollen ellipsoid. |
ascending at anthesis; sepals pubescent; petals purple, 9–14 × 2–4 mm, glabrous; pollen ellipsoid. |
Fruiting pedicels | usually divaricate-ascending, rarely horizontal, gently recurved or straight, 8–22 mm, pubescent, trichomes subappressed, 2–4-rayed. |
divaricate-ascending, straight, 5–14 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. |
divaricate-ascending, not appressed to rachis, not secund, straight, edges parallel, 4–6 cm × 2.5–4 mm; valves glabrous; ovules 26–34 per ovary; style (0.7–)1–2 mm. |
Seeds | uniseriate or sub-biseriate, 1.5–1.7 × 1–1.2 mm; wing continuous, 0.1–0.2 mm wide. |
uniseriate, 1.9–2.7 × 1.5–2.2 mm; wing continuous, 0.3–0.7 mm wide. |
Boechera arcuata |
Boechera johnstonii |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–Jun. | Flowering Feb–Mar. |
Habitat | Rocky hillsides and cliffs in pine forests and chaparral | Rocky areas and gravelly soil in chaparral and oak-pine savannas |
Elevation | 300-1800 m (1000-5900 ft) | 1300-1700 m (4300-5600 ft) |
Distribution |
CA
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CA |
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 johnstonii and B. hirshbergiae are too similar to be considered distinct species. Even with the expanded circumscription, this distinctive sexual species is known only from the area of Cuyamaca Lake (San Diego County) and the San Jacinto Mountains (Riverside County). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 365. | FNA vol. 7, p. 386. |
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 johnstonii, Arabis hirshbergiae, B. hirshbergiae |
Name authority | (Nuttall) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 64. (2006) | (Munz) Al-Shehbaz: Novon 13: 386. (2003) |
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