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Peirson's rockcress, San Bernardino Rock cress

perennial rockcress

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

usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette near ground surface, 1–2.5 dm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 2–5-rayed (rarely, some simple), 0.4–0.6 mm, glabrous distally.

usually 2–5 per caudex branch, arising laterally proximal to sterile shoots or rosette, often elevated above ground surface on woody base, (1.5–)2–7 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, Y-shaped, 0.2–0.4 mm, often mixed with 3–5-rayed or (rarely) simple ones, usually glabrous distally.

Basal leaves

blade oblanceolate, 2.5–6 mm wide, margins entire, ciliate proximally, trichomes (simple), surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 4–7-rayed, 0.3–0.5 mm.

blade oblanceolate to obovate, 3–15(–20) mm wide, margins dentate, ciliate proximally, trichomes to 1.2 mm, surfaces moderately to densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 3–6-rayed, 0.2–0.4 mm.

Cauline leaves

3–12, often concealing stem proximally;

blade auricles 0.5–2 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves usually glabrous, sometimes margins ciliate.

4–12(–17), not concealing stem;

blade auricles 0.5–3.5 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves glabrous.

Racemes

12–25-flowered, usually unbranched.

16–35-flowered, usually unbranched.

Flowers

ascending at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals purple, 5–6 × 1.5–2 mm, glabrous;

pollen spheroid.

ascending at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals white to purplish, 5–9 × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent (occasionally some trichomes abaxially);

pollen ellipsoid.

Fruiting pedicels

ascending to divaricate-descending, straight, 2–6 mm, glabrous.

usually horizontal, straight or slightly recurved, (6–)10–25 mm, usually glabrous.

Fruits

ascending to divaricate-ascending, not appressed to rachis, not secund, straight, edges parallel, 2–3.7 cm × 2–2.8 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 56–80 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.3 mm.

widely pendent, not appressed to rachis, not secund, usually curved, edges parallel, (3–)4–7 cm × 1.7–2.1 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 60–96 per ovary;

style 0.05–0.4 mm.

Seeds

uniseriate, 1–1.5 × 0.8–1 mm;

wing distal or continuous, 0.05–0.1 mm wide.

uniseriate, 1.1–1.5 × 0.9–1.2 mm;

wing continuous, 0.1–0.2 mm wide.

2n

= 14.

Boechera peirsonii

Boechera perennans

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering Feb–May.
Habitat Granitic ledges and talus slopes Rocky slopes and gravelly soil in warm desert, chaparral, low montane habitats
Elevation 2700-3400 m (8900-11200 ft) 200-1700 m (700-5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; NV; TX; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Boechera peirsonii is an apomictic species of unknown origin; although previously treated as a variety of Arabis (B.) breweri, it is quite distinct from that taxon (see M. D. Windham and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2007 for detailed comparison). All known collections come from the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California, ca. 200 km distant from the nearest populations of B. breweri.

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

The circumscription of Boechera perennans followed here is much narrower than that adopted by R. C. Rollins (1993). The most significant difference is the removal of Arabis gracilenta. Recent studies (M. D. Windham and Allphin, in prep.) indicate that the latter represents an older name for the species usually called A. (Boechera) selbyi. Although superficially similar, B. perennans is distinguished from B. gracilenta by having stems arising from above ground surface on woody bases, proximal stems with mostly Y-shaped trichomes, strongly dentate margins on basal leaves, and uniseriate seeds. Typically, B. perennans is a sexual diploid largely restricted to the warm deserts of Arizona, California, Nevada, and southern New Mexico. Plants of B. gracilenta are scattered across the Colorado Plateau (northeast of the range of B. perennans) and are apomictic triploids, apparently produced by hybridization between B. fendleri and B. pallidifolia.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 394. FNA vol. 7, p. 396.
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. paupercula, 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. 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 breweri var. pecuniaria Arabis perennans, Arabis angulata, Arabis arcuata var. perennans, Arabis eremophila, Arabis recondita
Name authority Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 270. (2007) (S. Watson) W. A. Weber: Phytologia 51: 370. (1982)
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