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Blue Mountain rockcress, hoary rock-cress, silver rockcress

Habit Perennials; short-lived; sexual; caudex not woody. Perennials; short-lived; apomictic; caudex usually 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, 0.7–3 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 2–6-rayed, 0.06–0.25 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 narrowly oblanceolate, 1–3 mm wide, margins entire, ciliate near petiole base, trichomes (simple and spurred), to 0.4 mm, surfaces sparsely to densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 4–8-rayed, 0.04–0.15 mm.

Cauline leaves

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

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

5–9, rarely concealing stem proximally;

blade auricles to 0.3–1 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves glabrous.

Racemes

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

5–13-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 pubescent;

petals lavender, 4–5 × 0.5–0.8 mm, glabrous;

pollen spheroid.

Fruiting pedicels

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

divaricate-ascending, straight, 3–8 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.

divaricate-ascending, not appressed to rachis, not secund, straight, edges parallel, (2.5–)3–4.7 cm × 1.2–1.7 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 78–112 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.5 mm.

Seeds

uniseriate, 1.4–1.8 × 1–1.4 mm;

wing continuous, 0.1–0.3 mm wide.

uniseriate to sub-biseriate, 1.1–1.4 × 0.7–0.9 mm;

wing continuous, 0.05–0.12 mm wide.

2n

= 14.

Boechera puberula

Boechera saximontana

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Ledges, rocky slopes, gravelly hillsides in sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, and mountain shrub communities Rocky soil in sagebrush and open conifer forests
Elevation 1300-2900 m (4300-9500 ft) 2400-2900 m (7900-9500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; WY
[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.)

Boechera saximontana is an apomictic taxon that has been treated as a variety of either Arabis microphylla (R. C. Rollins 1941) or A. (Boechera) williamsii (Rollins 1993; R. D. Dorn 2001). It is easily distinguished from typical collections of those species (see M. D. Windham and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2007b for detailed comparison), but it is likely that one (or both) were involved in its hybrid origin. It is known from Blaine, Custer, and Lemhi counties in Idaho, and Big Horn and Fremont counties in Wyoming.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 399. FNA vol. 7, p. 404.
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. 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. 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 microphylla var. saximontana, Arabis pendulocarpa var. saximontana, Arabis williamsii var. saximontana, B. williamsii var. saximontana
Name authority (Nuttall) Dorn: Brittonia, 55: 3. (2003) (Rollins) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 12: 248. (2007)
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