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

danglepod rockcress, drop-seed rock-cress, earless suncress, Holboell's rockcress

Habit Perennials; long-lived; (cespitose); sexual; caudex often woody. Perennials; short- to long-lived; sexual; caudex usually not 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, 0.6–3 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes simple and stalked, 2–4-rayed, 0.1–0.4 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent distally.

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, 1.5–4(–5) mm wide, margins entire, often ciliate along petiole, trichomes (simple), to 0.6 mm, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 4–8-rayed, 0.08–0.2 mm.

Cauline leaves

2–6, rarely concealing stem;

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

6–17, sometimes concealing stem proximally;

blade auricles absent, surfaces of distalmost leaves glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Racemes

3–8-flowered, unbranched.

4–11-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 white or lavender, 4–6 × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

pollen ellipsoid.

Fruiting pedicels

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

arched, gently recurved, 3–8(–12) mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, 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.

pendent, not appressed to rachis, not secund, usually straight, edges parallel, (2–)2.5–3.8 cm × 1.5–2.2 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 66–92 per ovary;

style 0.3–0.5 mm.

Seeds

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

wing continuous, 0.3–1 mm wide.

sub-biseriate, 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.9 mm;

wing distal, 0.05–0.1 mm wide.

2n

= 14.

Boechera paupercula

Boechera pendulocarpa

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Rock outcrops, talus slopes, gravelly soil in alpine and subalpine habitats Rock outcrops and gravelly slopes in sagebrush, open conifer forests, subalpine meadows
Elevation 2400-3400 m (7900-11200 ft) 1000-3300 m (3300-10800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WY; BC; YT
[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.)

Though often treated as a variety of Arabis (Boechera) holboellii (e.g., R. C. Rollins 1993), B. pendulocarpa is easily distinguished from that species by having simple and 2–4-rayed (versus 4–8-rayed) trichomes proximally on stems, cauline leaves without auricles, fruiting pedicels gently (versus sharply) recurved, and shorter (2–)2.5–3.8 (versus 3.5–6.5) cm, non-secund fruits. The two taxa have allopatric distributions, with B. pendulocarpa found in the mountains of western North America and B. holboellii apparently confined to Greenland. Recent use of the name A. (Boechera) exilis for this taxon (e.g., G. A. Mulligan 1996; R. D. Dorn 2001; N. H. Holmgren 2005b) is based on misinterpretation of the type (M. D. Windham and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2006).

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 394. FNA vol. 7, p. 395.
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. 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. 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 pendulocarpa, Arabis holboellii var. pendulocarpa, B. holboellii var. pendulocarpa
Name authority (Greene) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 75. (2006) (A. Nelson) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 77. (2006)
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