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arching rockcress, elegant rockcress

Habit Perennials; short-lived; sexual; caudex not woody. Perennials; usually long-lived; sexual; caudex often woody (well-developed).
Stems

1–3 per caudex branch, arising laterally proximal to sterile shoots near ground surface, ca. 2.5 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes simple and 2-rayed, 0.25–0.7 mm, glabrescent distally.

usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette, elevated on woody base or from ground surface, (2–)3–8 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 2-rayed and simple, to 1 mm, pubescent distally.

Basal leaves

blade oblanceolate to obovate, 2.5–5 mm wide, margins entire, ciliate along petiole, trichomes (simple), to 1 mm, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes simple and short-stalked, 2- or 3-rayed, 0.25–0.5 mm.

blade linear to oblanceolate, 2–7(–12) mm wide, margins usually entire, rarely denticulate, ciliate along petiole, trichomes to 1.5 mm, surfaces densely pubescent, trichomes usually short-stalked, 2–5-rayed (rarely some simple), 0.4–0.8 mm.

Cauline leaves

4–6, not concealing stem;

blade auricles ca. 1 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves sparsely pubescent.

10–30(–45), often concealing stem proximally;

blade auricles 2–5(–6) mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves pubescent.

Racemes

6–10-flowered, unbranched.

12–50(–70)-flowered, usually unbranched.

Flowers

ascending at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals lavender, 4–5 × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

pollen ellipsoid.

ascending at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals purple, 9–14 × 2–4 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent (trichomes abaxially);

pollen ellipsoid.

Fruiting pedicels

ascending, straight, 6–10 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, trichomes subappressed, branched.

usually divaricate-ascending, rarely horizontal, gently recurved or straight, 8–22 mm, pubescent, trichomes subappressed, 2–4-rayed.

Fruits

divaricate-ascending, not appressed to rachis, not secund, slightly curved, edges parallel, 4–5 cm × ca. 1 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules ca. 64 per ovary;

style ca. 0.2 mm.

usually divaricate-ascending, rarely horizontal, not appressed to rachis, not secund, usually curved, edges parallel, (6–)8–13 cm × 1.5–2.2 mm;

valves glabrous or trichomes relatively few, scattered;

ovules 90–250 per ovary;

style 0.01–0.5 mm.

Seeds

uniseriate, (none mature).

uniseriate or sub-biseriate, 1.5–1.7 × 1–1.2 mm;

wing continuous, 0.1–0.2 mm wide.

Boechera villosa

Boechera arcuata

Phenology Flowering May. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Basalt outcrop in pinyon-juniper woodlands Rocky hillsides and cliffs in pine forests and chaparral
Elevation ca. 2100 m (ca. 6900 ft) 300-1800 m (1000-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
NM
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Boechera villosa is known only from the type collection from the Rio Grande Gorge in Taos County. The holotype was originally identified as Arabis (Boechera) perennans but clearly is more closely related to B. pallidifolia (see M. D. Windham and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2006 for detailed comparison).

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

Although usually treated as a variety of Arabis (Boechera) sparsiflora (e.g., R. C. Rollins 1993), B. arcuata is easily distinguished from that species by having rachises and fruiting pedicels pubescent with subappressed, 2–4-rayed trichomes and a geographic range limited to southern and western California. By contrast, B. sparsiflora has rachises and fruiting pedicels with spreading, usually simple trichomes (sometimes glabrescent) and an allopatric distribution north and east of the Sierra Nevada.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 411. FNA vol. 7, p. 365.
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. 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. williamsii, B. xylopoda, B. yorkii
B. acutina, 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. subpinnatifida, B. suffrutescens, B. texana, B. tiehmii, B. tularensis, B. ultra-alsa, B. villosa, B. williamsii, B. xylopoda, B. yorkii
Synonyms Streptanthus arcuatus, Arabis holboellii var. arcuata, Arabis maxima, Arabis sparsiflora var. arcuata
Name authority Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 86. (2006) (Nuttall) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 64. (2006)
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