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Short's rockcress

Selby's rockcress

Habit Biennials; short-lived; sexual; caudex present or absent. Perennials; short- or (rarely) long-lived; apomictic; caudex usually not woody.
Stems

usually 2–4 per plant or caudex branch, arising from margin of rosette near ground surface, or arising laterally proximal to sterile shoots, 2–6 dm, pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 2–4-rayed, 0.15–0.4 mm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous distally.

1–9 per caudex branch, arising from center or margin of rosette near ground surface, (1.5–)2.5–5.5 dm, densely pubescent proximally, trichomes short-stalked, 2–4-rayed, 0.1–0.5 mm, mixed with some simple ones, to 0.8 mm, glabrous distally.

Basal leaves

blade obovate to oblanceolate, (6–)10–45 mm wide, margins dentate, not ciliate, surfaces sparsely pubescent, abaxially trichomes short-stalked, 3- or 4-rayed, 0.15–0.4 mm, adaxially simple ones, 0.4–1 mm.

blade oblanceolate, 2–9 mm wide, margins shallowly dentate or sometimes entire, ciliate proximally, trichomes (simple and spurred), to 1.2 mm, surfaces moderately to densely pubescent, trichomes short-stalked, 4–6(–8)-rayed, 0.1–0.5 mm.

Cauline leaves

4–20, rarely concealing stem;

blade auricles 1–8 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves sparsely pubescent.

4–9, not concealing stem;

blade auricles 1–3 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves usually glabrous.

Racemes

14–66-flowered, sparingly branched.

7–20-flowered, usually unbranched.

Flowers

divaricate at anthesis;

sepals glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

petals white or cream, 2–3.5 × 0.7–1 mm, glabrous;

pollen ellipsoid.

ascending at anthesis;

sepals pubescent;

petals lavender, 6–7 × 1.5–2 mm, glabrous;

pollen spheroid.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate-ascending to slightly descending, straight, 1–6 mm, glabrous or pubescent, trichomes appressed, branched.

divaricate-ascending, gently curved downward, (7–)10–18 mm, glabrous.

Fruits

divaricate-ascending to slightly descending, not appressed to rachis, not secund, straight or slightly curved, edges parallel, 1.3–4.2 cm × 0.7–0.8 mm;

valves usually sparsely pubescent throughout, rarely glabrous;

ovules 14–44 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.5 mm.

usually widely pendent, rarely horizontal, not appressed to rachis, not secund, slightly curved, edges parallel, (3–)4.5–7 cm × 1.7–2 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 60–96 per ovary;

style 0.1–0.3 mm.

Seeds

uniseriate, 0.7–1.1 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

not winged.

sub-biseriate, 1.2–1.8 × 0.9–1.2 mm;

wing continuous, 0.1–0.25 mm wide.

Boechera dentata

Boechera gracilenta

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Apr–May.
Habitat Bluffs and rocky ledges, wooded slopes, floodplains Rocky slopes and sandy soil in pinyon-juniper woodlands and mountain shrub communities
Elevation 100-300 m (300-1000 ft) 1900-2300 m (6200-7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MD; MI; MN; MO; NE; NY; OH; OK; PA; SD; TN; VA; WI; WV; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sisymbrium dentatum Torrey is an illegitimate name that pertains to Iodanthus dentatus.

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

Morphological evidence suggests that Boechera gracilenta is an apomictic species that arose through hybridization between B. fendleri and B. pallidifolia; it is superficially similar to the sexual diploid B. perennans but is not closely related (see M. D. Windham and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2007b for detailed comparison).

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 373. FNA vol. 7, p. 381.
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. 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
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. 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 Shortia dentata, Arabis dentata var. phalacrocarpa, Arabis perstellata var. shortii, Arabis shortii, Arabis shortii var. phalacrocarpa, B. shortii, Iodanthus dentatus Arabis gracilenta, Arabis selbyi, B. selbyi
Name authority (Rafinesque) Al-Shehbaz & Zarucchi: Harvard Pap. Bot. 13: 293. (2008) (Greene) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 12: 240. (2007)
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