Boechera puberula |
Boechera pusilla |
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Blue Mountain rockcress, hoary rock-cress, silver rockcress |
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Habit | Perennials; short-lived; sexual; caudex not woody. | Perennials; long-lived; (cespitose); apomictic; caudex often 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 2–6 per caudex branch, arising from margin of rosette near ground surface, 0.5–2 dm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent proximally, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2-rayed, to 0.2 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 linear-oblanceolate, 1–2.5 mm wide, margins entire, ciliate along petiole, trichomes (simple), 0.4–0.7 mm, surfaces usually sparsely pubescent, rarely glabrous, trichomes short-stalked, 2- or 3-rayed, 0.1–0.4 mm. |
Cauline leaves | 7–45(–65), concealing stem proximally; blade auricles absent or 0.7–3 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves pubescent. |
3–5, not concealing stem; blade auricles 0–0.2 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves usually glabrous or, rarely, margins sparsely ciliate. |
Racemes | 10–40(–64)-flowered, usually unbranched. |
6–13-flowered, unbranched. |
Flowers | ascending to descending at anthesis; sepals pubescent; petals white to lavender, 5–9 × 0.8–1.8 mm, glabrous; pollen ellipsoid. |
divaricate-ascending at anthesis; sepals glabrous or sparsely pubescent, trichomes spreading, 2-rayed; petals white to lavender, 4–5 × 1.5–1.8 mm, glabrous; pollen spheroid. |
Fruiting pedicels | pendent, recurved distal to horizontal to ascending base, 4–10 mm, pubescent, trichomes appressed, branched. |
horizontal to divaricate-descending, straight or slightly curved downward, 2–5 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. |
horizontal or divaricate-descending, not appressed to rachis, secund, straight, edges parallel, 1.6–3.2 cm × 1.5–2 mm; valves glabrous; ovules 20–32 per ovary; style 0.1–0.4 mm. |
Seeds | uniseriate, 1.4–1.8 × 1–1.4 mm; wing continuous, 0.1–0.3 mm wide. |
uniseriate, 1.2–1.5 × 0.8–0.9 mm; not winged or with distal wing 0.05–0.1 mm wide. |
2n | = 14. |
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Boechera puberula |
Boechera pusilla |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jul. | Flowering May–Jun. |
Habitat | Ledges, rocky slopes, gravelly hillsides in sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, and mountain shrub communities | Cracks and crevices of granitic rock outcrops |
Elevation | 1300-2900 m (4300-9500 ft) | 2400-2500 m (7900-8200 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; NV; OR; UT
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WY |
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.) |
Of conservation concern. Morphological evidence suggests that Boechera pusilla is an apomictic species that arose through hybridization between B. lemmonii and B. pendulina; it is known only from the type locality in southwestern Wyoming. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 399. | FNA vol. 7, p. 400. |
Parent taxa | Brassicaceae > tribe Boechereae > Boechera | Brassicaceae > tribe Boechereae > Boechera |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Arabis puberula, Arabis arida, Arabis beckwithii, Arabis lignipes var. impar, Arabis sabulosa, Arabis subpinnatifida var. beckwithii, Arabis subpinnatifida var. impar, B. beckwithii | Arabis pusilla |
Name authority | (Nuttall) Dorn: Brittonia, 55: 3. (2003) | (Rollins) Dorn: Vasc. Pl. Wyoming ed. 3, 376. (2001) |
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