Boechera paupercula |
Boechera spatifolia |
|
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boechera paupercula, littleleaf rockcress, small-flower rock-cress, tiny suncress |
spoonleaf rockcress |
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Habit | Perennials; long-lived; (cespitose); sexual; caudex often woody. | Perennials; short- to long-lived; sexual; caudex usually not woody (rarely with persistent, crowded leaf bases). |
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. |
simple or few to several per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette near ground surface, 1.5–3.5(–5) dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes simple mixed with short-stalked ones, 2-rayed, 0.3–0.7 mm. |
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, 1.5–3(–4) mm wide, margins entire, strongly ciliate at least along petiole, trichomes (simple), to 1 mm, surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2-rayed, 0.3–0.7 mm. |
Cauline leaves | 2–6, rarely concealing stem; blade auricles 0 (or 0.2–1.5) mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves glabrous. |
5–15(–20), often concealing stem proximally; blade auricles 0.5–1.5 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves usually glabrous. |
Racemes | 3–8-flowered, unbranched. |
10–30-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. |
divaricate-ascending at anthesis; sepals pubescent; petals usually white, rarely pale lavender, 3–3.7(–4) × 0.5–0.8 mm, glabrous; pollen ellipsoid. |
Fruiting pedicels | erect, straight, 3–9 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent. |
horizontal or slightly descending, curved or angled downward, 6–10(–15) mm, usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pubescent, trichomes spreading, simple. |
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, rarely slightly secund, straight or gently curved, edges parallel, 3.3–5.7 cm × 1.2–1.8 mm; valves glabrous; ovules 90–126 per ovary; style 0.1–0.4 mm. |
Seeds | usually uniseriate, rarely sub-biseriate, 1.5–2(–2.5) × 1–1.4 mm; wing continuous, 0.3–1 mm wide. |
biseriate, 0.7–0.9 × 0.5–0.6 mm; wing distal or, sometimes, absent, 0.05–0.1 mm wide. |
2n | = 14. |
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Boechera paupercula |
Boechera spatifolia |
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Phenology | Flowering Jun–Aug. | Flowering May–Aug. |
Habitat | Rock outcrops, talus slopes, gravelly soil in alpine and subalpine habitats | Rocky slopes and gravelly soil in sagebrush, pinyon-juniper woodlands, open conifer forests and subalpine meadows |
Elevation | 2400-3400 m (7900-11200 ft) | 1800-2800 m (5900-9200 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; ID; OR; WA; WY
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CO; NM
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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.) |
Boechera spatifolia is a sexual diploid that usually has been treated as a variety of Arabis (Boechera) fendleri but appears to be sufficiently distinct to warrant recognition at species level (see M. D. Windham and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2006 for detailed comparison). There is little geographic overlap between the two, with B. spatifolia confined to the mountains of central Colorado and north-central New Mexico and B. fendleri ranging from western New Mexico and the Four Corners region through northern Arizona to southern Nevada. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 394. | FNA vol. 7, p. 408. |
Parent taxa | Brassicaceae > tribe Boechereae > Boechera | Brassicaceae > tribe Boechereae > Boechera |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Arabis paupercula, Arabis lyallii var. nubigena, Arabis microphylla var. nubigena, Arabis nubigena | Arabis spatifolia, Arabis fendleri var. spatifolia, B. fendleri subsp. spatifolia, B. fendleri var. spatifolia |
Name authority | (Greene) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 75. (2006) | (Rydberg) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 84. (2006) |
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