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

meadow rock-cress

Habit Perennials; long-lived; (cespitose); sexual; caudex often woody. Perennials; usually short-lived; apomictic; caudex 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, 2–6 dm, pubescent proximally, trichomes sessile, 2- or 3-rayed, 0.15–0.6 mm, glabrous 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 oblanceolate, 1.5–5(–7) mm wide, margins usually entire, rarely denticulate, ciliate at petiole base, trichomes to 0.4 mm, surfaces pubescent, trichomes sessile, 2–4(–6)-rayed, 0.1–0.45 mm.

Cauline leaves

2–6, rarely concealing stem;

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

(7–)13–42, concealing stem proximally;

blade auricles 1–4 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves sparsely pubescent apically.

Racemes

3–8-flowered, unbranched.

(7–)14–45-flowered, usually 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 glabrous;

petals lavender, 6–10 × 1.5–2 mm, glabrous;

pollen spheroid.

Fruiting pedicels

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

erect, straight, 5–12 mm, glabrous.

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.

erect, appressed to rachis, not secund, straight, edges parallel, 4–6.5 cm × 1.5–2 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 60–140 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.3 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, 1.4–2 × 1–1.4 mm;

wing continuous, 0.1–0.35 mm wide.

Boechera paupercula

Boechera pratincola

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Rock outcrops, talus slopes, gravelly soil in alpine and subalpine habitats Rocky slopes and soil patches in open areas and along forest edges
Elevation 2400-3400 m (7900-11200 ft) 1900-3200 m (6200-10500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR
[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 pratincola is an apomictic species that arose through hybridization between B. paupercula and B. stricta (see M. D. Windham and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2007b for detailed comparison).

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 394. FNA vol. 7, p. 399.
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. pendulocarpa, B. perennans, B. perstellata, B. pinetorum, B. pinzliae, B. platysperma, B. polyantha, B. porphyrea, 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 pratincola, Arabis drummondii var. pratincola, Arabis nemophila
Name authority (Greene) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 75. (2006) (Greene) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 12: 245. (2007)
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