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Short's rockcress

Koehler's rockcress, shrubby rock-cress

Habit Biennials; short-lived; sexual; caudex present or absent. Perennials; long-lived; sexual; caudex woody (with persistent, peg-like leaf bases).
Stems

usually 2–4 per plant or caudex branch, arising from margin of rosette near ground surface, or arising laterally proximal to sterile shoots, 2–6 dm, pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 2–4-rayed, 0.15–0.4 mm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous distally.

usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette, elevated above ground surface on woody base, 0.8–4.5 dm, pubescent proximally, trichomes stalked, 2–4-rayed, to 0.5 mm, mixed with simple ones, to 1 mm, glabrous distally.

Basal leaves

blade obovate to oblanceolate, (6–)10–45 mm wide, margins dentate, not ciliate, surfaces sparsely pubescent, abaxially trichomes short-stalked, 3- or 4-rayed, 0.15–0.4 mm, adaxially simple ones, 0.4–1 mm.

blade narrowly oblanceolate, 1–3 mm wide, margins entire, ciliate proximally, trichomes (simple), to 1 mm, surfaces moderately to sparsely pubescent, trichomes stalked, 2–4-rayed, 0.1–0.3(–0.5) mm.

Cauline leaves

4–20, rarely concealing stem;

blade auricles 1–8 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves sparsely pubescent.

3–17(–30), rarely concealing stem;

blade auricles 0.5–2.5 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves glabrous.

Racemes

14–66-flowered, sparingly branched.

6–20(–35)-flowered, usually unbranched.

Flowers

divaricate at anthesis;

sepals glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

petals white or cream, 2–3.5 × 0.7–1 mm, glabrous;

pollen ellipsoid.

ascending at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals deep purple to magenta, 8–12 × 2.5–4 mm, glabrous;

pollen ellipsoid.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate-ascending to slightly descending, straight, 1–6 mm, glabrous or pubescent, trichomes appressed, branched.

divaricate-ascending to horizontal, straight, 10–18 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, trichomes spreading, simple and 2-rayed.

Fruits

divaricate-ascending to slightly descending, not appressed to rachis, not secund, straight or slightly curved, edges parallel, 1.3–4.2 cm × 0.7–0.8 mm;

valves usually sparsely pubescent throughout, rarely glabrous;

ovules 14–44 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.5 mm.

divaricate-ascending to widely pendent, not appressed to rachis, not secund, usually curved, rarely straight, edges parallel, 5–7.5 cm × 1.8–2.5 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 58–94 per ovary;

style 0.05–0.2 mm.

Seeds

uniseriate, 0.7–1.1 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

not winged.

uniseriate, 1.3–1.8 × 1.2–1.5 mm;

wing continuous, 0.1–0.2 mm wide.

Boechera dentata

Boechera koehleri

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Apr–May.
Habitat Bluffs and rocky ledges, wooded slopes, floodplains Serpentine and limestone outcrops
Elevation 100-300 m (300-1000 ft) 100-500 m (300-1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MD; MI; MN; MO; NE; NY; OH; OK; PA; SD; TN; VA; WI; WV; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sisymbrium dentatum Torrey is an illegitimate name that pertains to Iodanthus dentatus.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Boechera koehleri var. koehlerei 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. 373. FNA vol. 7, p. 386.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Boechereae > Boechera Brassicaceae > tribe Boechereae > Boechera
Sibling taxa
B. acutina, B. arcuata, B. atrorubens, B. bodiensis, B. breweri, B. burkii, B. calderi, B. californica, B. canadensis, B. cascadensis, B. cobrensis, B. collinsii, B. consanguinea, B. constancei, B. covillei, B. crandallii, B. cusickii, B. davidsonii, B. depauperata, B. dispar, B. divaricarpa, B. drepanoloba, B. duchesnensis, B. elkoensis, B. evadens, B. falcatoria, B. falcifructa, B. fecunda, B. fendleri, B. fernaldiana, B. formosa, B. fructicosa, B. glareosa, B. glaucovalvula, B. goodrichii, B. gracilenta, B. gracilipes, B. grahamii, B. gunnisoniana, B. harrisonii, B. hastatula, B. hoffmannii, B. holboellii, B. horizontalis, B. howellii, B. inyoensis, B. johnstonii, B. koehleri, B. laevigata, B. languida, B. lasiocarpa, B. lemmonii, B. lignifera, B. lincolnensis, B. lyallii, B. macounii, B. microphylla, B. missouriensis, B. nevadensis, B. ophira, B. oxylobula, B. paddoensis, B. pallidifolia, B. parishii, B. pauciflora, B. paupercula, B. peirsonii, B. pendulina, B. pendulocarpa, B. perennans, B. perstellata, B. pinetorum, B. pinzliae, B. platysperma, B. polyantha, B. porphyrea, B. pratincola, B. puberula, B. pulchra, B. pusilla, B. pygmaea, B. quebecensis, B. rectissima, B. repanda, B. retrofracta, B. rigidissima, B. rollei, B. rollinsiorum, B. rubicundula, B. saximontana, B. schistacea, B. serotina, B. serpenticola, B. shevockii, B. shockleyi, B. sparsiflora, B. spatifolia, B. stricta, B. subpinnatifida, B. suffrutescens, B. texana, B. tiehmii, B. tularensis, B. ultra-alsa, B. villosa, B. williamsii, B. xylopoda, B. yorkii
B. acutina, B. arcuata, B. atrorubens, B. bodiensis, B. breweri, B. burkii, B. calderi, B. californica, B. canadensis, B. cascadensis, B. cobrensis, B. collinsii, B. consanguinea, B. constancei, B. covillei, B. crandallii, B. cusickii, B. davidsonii, B. dentata, B. depauperata, B. dispar, B. divaricarpa, B. drepanoloba, B. duchesnensis, B. elkoensis, B. evadens, B. falcatoria, B. falcifructa, B. fecunda, B. fendleri, B. fernaldiana, B. formosa, B. fructicosa, B. glareosa, B. glaucovalvula, B. goodrichii, B. gracilenta, B. gracilipes, B. grahamii, B. gunnisoniana, B. harrisonii, B. hastatula, B. hoffmannii, B. holboellii, B. horizontalis, B. howellii, B. inyoensis, B. johnstonii, B. laevigata, B. languida, B. lasiocarpa, B. lemmonii, B. lignifera, B. lincolnensis, B. lyallii, B. macounii, B. microphylla, B. missouriensis, B. nevadensis, B. ophira, B. oxylobula, B. paddoensis, B. pallidifolia, B. parishii, B. pauciflora, B. paupercula, B. peirsonii, B. pendulina, B. pendulocarpa, B. perennans, B. perstellata, B. pinetorum, B. pinzliae, B. platysperma, B. polyantha, B. porphyrea, B. pratincola, B. puberula, B. pulchra, B. pusilla, B. pygmaea, B. quebecensis, B. rectissima, B. repanda, B. retrofracta, B. rigidissima, B. rollei, B. rollinsiorum, B. rubicundula, B. saximontana, B. schistacea, B. serotina, B. serpenticola, B. shevockii, B. shockleyi, B. sparsiflora, B. spatifolia, B. stricta, B. subpinnatifida, B. suffrutescens, B. texana, B. tiehmii, B. tularensis, B. ultra-alsa, B. villosa, B. williamsii, B. xylopoda, B. yorkii
Synonyms Shortia dentata, Arabis dentata var. phalacrocarpa, Arabis perstellata var. shortii, Arabis shortii, Arabis shortii var. phalacrocarpa, B. shortii, Iodanthus dentatus Arabis koehleri, Arabis arbuscula, Arabis koehleri var. stipitata
Name authority (Rafinesque) Al-Shehbaz & Zarucchi: Harvard Pap. Bot. 13: 293. (2008) (Howell) Al-Shehbaz: Novon 13: 386. (2003)
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