Boechera puberula |
Boechera sparsiflora |
|
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Blue Mountain rockcress, hoary rock-cress, silver rockcress |
elegant rockcress, sickle-pod rock-cress, slender rockcress, stretching suncress |
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Habit | Perennials; short-lived; sexual; caudex not woody. | Biennials or perennials; short-lived; sexual; caudex present or absent. |
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, 3–8 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes simple mixed with fewer short-stalked, 2-rayed ones, 0.4–1.5 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent 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 or linear-oblanceolate, 3–12 mm wide, margins usually entire, rarely dentate, ciliate proximally, trichomes (usually simple), to 1 mm, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 2–5-rayed, 0.3–0.8 mm. |
Cauline leaves | 7–45(–65), concealing stem proximally; blade auricles absent or 0.7–3 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves pubescent. |
(9–)15–35, often concealing stem proximally; blade auricles 3–10 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves glabrous, sometimes margins ciliate. |
Racemes | 10–40(–64)-flowered, usually unbranched. |
12–50-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 sparsely pubescent; petals usually lavender to purple, rarely white, 7–13 × 2–5 mm, glabrous; pollen ellipsoid. |
Fruiting pedicels | pendent, recurved distal to horizontal to ascending base, 4–10 mm, pubescent, trichomes appressed, branched. |
usually ascending, rarely almost horizontal, straight or slightly recurved, 3–10(–18) mm, usually pubescent, rarely glabrous, trichomes spreading, usually simple. |
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. |
usually ascending, rarely almost horizontal, not appressed to rachis, not secund, usually curved, edges parallel, 5–13 cm × 1.7–2 mm; valves glabrous; ovules 90–170 per ovary; style 0.05–0.3 mm. |
Seeds | uniseriate, 1.4–1.8 × 1–1.4 mm; wing continuous, 0.1–0.3 mm wide. |
uniseriate, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm; wing continuous, 0.1–0.2 mm wide. |
2n | = 14. |
= 14. |
Boechera puberula |
Boechera sparsiflora |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jul. | Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Habitat | Ledges, rocky slopes, gravelly hillsides in sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, and mountain shrub communities | Rocky slopes, clay hills, sandy soil in sagebrush and mountain shrub communities, meadows, and open conifer forests |
Elevation | 1300-2900 m (4300-9500 ft) | 400-2800 m (1300-9200 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; NV; OR; UT
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CA; ID; NV; OR; UT; WA; BC
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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.) |
As circumscribed by R. C. Rollins (1993), Boechera sparsiflora included six varieties encompassing three sexual diploids and a number of apomictic hybrids. The most distinctive of those elements are recognized here as the separate species B. arcuata, B. atrorubens, B. californica, and B. pauciflora. The narrow circumscription of B. sparsiflora adopted here includes only sexual diploids. It is distinguished from other taxa previously assigned to it by having proximal stems densely pubescent with predominantly simple (some 2-rayed) trichomes to 1.5 mm, usually glabrous distal stems, and ascending fruiting pedicels with spreading, usually simple trichomes (rarely glabrous). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 399. | FNA vol. 7, p. 407. |
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 sparsiflora, Arabis arcoidea, Arabis campyloloba, Arabis peramoena, Arabis polytricha, Arabis sparsiflora var. peramoena |
Name authority | (Nuttall) Dorn: Brittonia, 55: 3. (2003) | (Nuttall) Dorn: Vasc. Pl. Wyoming ed. 3, 376. (2001) |
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