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beautiful rockcress

Boechera subpinnatifida

ashy rock-cress, Klamath rockcress

Habit Perennials; long-lived; sexual; caudex woody. Perennials; long-lived; sexual; caudex woody (often with persistent, crowded leaf bases).
Stems

usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of leaf tufts, elevated above ground surface on woody base, (1.5–)3–7.5 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, usually 4–7-rayed, 0.1–0.3 mm, similarly pubescent distally.

usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette near ground surface, 1–4(–5) dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 2–6-rayed, 0.1–0.2 mm, sparsely pubescent distally.

Basal leaves

blade linear to linear-oblanceolate, 1–3 mm wide, margins entire, not ciliate, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 4–9-rayed, 0.1–0.3 mm.

blade narrowly oblanceolate, 1–4(–5) mm wide, margins prominently dentate to subpinnatifid (leaf margins of sterile shoots often entire), ciliate near petiole base, trichomes (simple or 2-rayed), 0.4–0.6 mm, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, (2–)4–9-rayed, 0.05–0.2 mm.

Cauline leaves

10–30, often concealing stem proximally;

blade auricles absent or, rarely, to 0.5 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves pubescent.

(10–)20–60, often concealing stem throughout;

blade auricles 0.5–3 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves moderately to sparsely pubescent.

Racemes

8–25-flowered, usually unbranched.

8–30-flowered, usually unbranched.

Flowers

descending at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals usually purple, rarely white, 9–16 × 2–4(–5) mm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous (trichomes scattered abaxially);

pollen ellipsoid.

divaricate-ascending to pendent at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals usually purple, rarely lavender, 9–14 × 1.5–3 mm, glabrous;

pollen ellipsoid.

Fruiting pedicels

reflexed, abruptly recurved at base, otherwise straight, 8–16 mm, pubescent, trichomes appressed, branched.

reflexed, strongly recurved, 5–15 mm, pubescent, trichomes appressed, branched.

Fruits

strongly reflexed, often appressed to rachis, sometimes somewhat secund, straight, edges parallel, 3.3–8 cm × 2.5–4 mm;

valves pubescent throughout;

ovules 68–106 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.3 mm.

pendent, not appressed to rachis, not secund, straight to slightly curved, edges parallel, (3.5–)5–8 cm × (1.6–)2–3 mm;

valves pubescent throughout;

ovules 24–42 per ovary;

style 0.5–1 mm.

Seeds

biseriate, 1.7–2.8 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

wing continuous, 0.25–0.65 mm wide.

uniseriate, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

wing continuous or at both ends, 0.4–0.8 mm wide.

2n

= 14.

Boechera pulchra

Boechera subpinnatifida

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Rocky, gravelly or sandy slopes in chaparral, sagebrush and desert scrub communities Rock outcrops, talus, gravelly soil, often in sagebrush-grassland communities
Elevation 800-2800 m (2600-9200 ft) 800-2400 m (2600-7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Boechera pulchra is a distinctive diploid separated from related sexual species (B. formosa and B. lincolnensis) by abruptly recurved fruiting pedicels and purple flowers, and from apomictic hybrids (e.g., B. xylopoda) by having fruits densely pubescent throughout.

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

Originally thought to be restricted to northern California and adjacent Oregon, Boechera subpinnatifida is a sexual species that recently has been found in central Idaho, northern Nevada, and northwestern Utah. It appears to intergrade with both B. puberula and B. retrofracta, and species boundaries within this complex need further study.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 400. FNA vol. 7, p. 409.
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. puberula, 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. saximontana, B. schistacea, B. serotina, B. serpenticola, B. shevockii, B. shockleyi, B. sparsiflora, B. spatifolia, B. stricta, B. suffrutescens, B. texana, B. tiehmii, B. tularensis, B. ultra-alsa, B. villosa, B. williamsii, B. xylopoda, B. yorkii
Synonyms Arabis pulchra Arabis subpinnatifida
Name authority (M. E. Jones ex S. Watson) W. A. Weber: Phytologia 51: 370. (1982) (S. Watson) Al-Shehbaz: Novon 13: 389. (2003)
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