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boechera paupercula, littleleaf rockcress, small-flower rock-cress, tiny suncress

soldier rockcress

Habit Perennials; long-lived; (cespitose); sexual; caudex often woody. Perennials; usually long-lived; (cespitose); apomictic; caudex woody.
Stems

usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette near ground surface, 0.3–1.5 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2–4-rayed, (0.07–)0.1–0.2 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent distally.

usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette near ground surface, 0.5–1.5(–2) dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 4–8-rayed, 0.07–0.4 mm, usually sparsely pubescent distally, rarely glabrous.

Basal leaves

blade linear-oblanceolate, 1–3(–5) mm wide, margins entire, ciliate proximally, trichomes to 0.4 mm, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 2–6-rayed, (0.07–)0.1–0.2 mm.

blade narrowly oblanceolate, 0.7–3(–5) mm wide, margins entire, sometimes ciliate proximally, trichomes to 0.4 mm, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 5–8-rayed, 0.05–0.25 mm.

Cauline leaves

2–6, rarely concealing stem;

blade auricles 0 (or 0.2–1.5) mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves glabrous.

3–7, not concealing stem;

blade auricles 0.5–1.5 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves usually pubescent, rarely glabrous.

Racemes

3–8-flowered, unbranched.

9–23-flowered, unbranched.

Flowers

erect at anthesis;

sepals glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

petals lavender to purplish, 4–6(–7) × 1–2 mm, glabrous;

pollen ellipsoid.

ascending at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals lavender to purplish, 3.5–5 × 0.8–1.2 mm, glabrous;

pollen spheroid.

Fruiting pedicels

erect, straight, 3–9 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

divaricate-ascending, straight, 1.5–7 mm, usually pubescent, rarely glabrous, trichomes appressed, branched.

Fruits

erect, appressed to rachis, not secund, straight, edges parallel, 2.5–5.5 cm × 1.3–1.7(–2) mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 24–40 per ovary;

style 0.2–1 mm.

divaricate-ascending, not appressed to rachis, not secund, straight, edges parallel, 1.7–3.5(–4.5) cm × 1–1.5 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 32–44 per ovary;

style 0.05–0.2 mm.

Seeds

usually uniseriate, rarely sub-biseriate, 1.5–2(–2.5) × 1–1.4 mm;

wing continuous, 0.3–1 mm wide.

uniseriate, 1.2–1.5 × 1–1.2 mm;

wing continuous, 0.1–0.15 mm wide.

Boechera paupercula

Boechera depauperata

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Rock outcrops, talus slopes, gravelly soil in alpine and subalpine habitats Exposed ridges and talus slopes in subalpine and alpine habitats
Elevation 2400-3400 m (7900-11200 ft) 2700-3900 m (8900-12800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Boechera paupercula is usually subsumed under Arabis (Boechera) lyallii but is amply distinct (see M. D. Windham and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2006 for detailed comparison).

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

Morphological evidence suggests that Boechera depauperata is an apomictic species that arose through hybridization between B. lemmonii and B. paupercula (see M. D. Windham and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2007 for detailed comparison). It is known in California from Fresno, Mono, and Tulare counties and in Nevada from Washoe County.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 394. FNA vol. 7, p. 373.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms Arabis paupercula, Arabis lyallii var. nubigena, Arabis microphylla var. nubigena, Arabis nubigena Arabis depauperata, Arabis lemmonii var. depauperata
Name authority (Greene) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 75. (2006) (A. Nelson & P. B. Kennedy) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 262. (2007)
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