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Blue Mountain rockcress, hoary rock-cress, silver rockcress

meadow rock-cress

Habit Perennials; short-lived; sexual; caudex not woody. Perennials; usually short-lived; apomictic; caudex not woody.
Stems

usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette near ground surface, (1–)2–6.3 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 3–8-rayed, 0.1–0.3(–0.5) mm, similarly 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 oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, 1.5–5 mm wide, margins usually dentate, not ciliate, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 5–12-rayed, 0.05–0.2 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

7–45(–65), concealing stem proximally;

blade auricles absent or 0.7–3 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves pubescent.

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

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

Racemes

10–40(–64)-flowered, usually unbranched.

(7–)14–45-flowered, usually unbranched.

Flowers

ascending to descending at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals white to lavender, 5–9 × 0.8–1.8 mm, glabrous;

pollen ellipsoid.

ascending at anthesis;

sepals glabrous;

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

pollen spheroid.

Fruiting pedicels

pendent, recurved distal to horizontal to ascending base, 4–10 mm, pubescent, trichomes appressed, branched.

erect, straight, 5–12 mm, glabrous.

Fruits

closely pendent, rarely appressed to rachis, sometimes somewhat secund, usually straight, edges parallel, 3–6.5 cm × 1.9–2.2 mm;

valves pubescent throughout;

ovules 38–64 per ovary;

style 0.05–0.1 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

uniseriate, 1.4–1.8 × 1–1.4 mm;

wing continuous, 0.1–0.3 mm wide.

sub-biseriate, 1.4–2 × 1–1.4 mm;

wing continuous, 0.1–0.35 mm wide.

2n

= 14.

Boechera puberula

Boechera pratincola

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Ledges, rocky slopes, gravelly hillsides in sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, and mountain shrub communities Rocky slopes and soil patches in open areas and along forest edges
Elevation 1300-2900 m (4300-9500 ft) 1900-3200 m (6200-10500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Boechera puberula is a diploid species that appears to intergrade with both B. retrofracta and B. subpinnatifida. The glabrous-fruited specimens discussed by R. C. Rollins (1993) represent apomictic hybrids with other species, primarily B. pendulocarpa.

(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. 399. 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. paupercula, B. peirsonii, B. pendulina, B. pendulocarpa, B. perennans, B. perstellata, B. pinetorum, B. pinzliae, B. platysperma, B. polyantha, B. porphyrea, B. pratincola, 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 puberula, Arabis arida, Arabis beckwithii, Arabis lignipes var. impar, Arabis sabulosa, Arabis subpinnatifida var. beckwithii, Arabis subpinnatifida var. impar, B. beckwithii Arabis pratincola, Arabis drummondii var. pratincola, Arabis nemophila
Name authority (Nuttall) Dorn: Brittonia, 55: 3. (2003) (Greene) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 12: 245. (2007)
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