The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Short's rockcress

Graham's rockcress, Graham's suncress

Habit Biennials; short-lived; sexual; caudex present or absent. Biennials or perennials; short-lived; apomictic; caudex present or absent.
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.

usually 1 per caudex branch, arising from center of rosette near ground surface, (1.2–)2–12 dm, glabrous or pubescent proximally, trichomes simple and sessile or subsessile, 2 or 3(–6)-rayed, to 1 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, 1.5–10(–20) mm wide, margins entire or dentate, ciliate proximally, trichomes (simple), to 1 mm, surfaces sparsely to densely pubescent, trichomes sessile or subsessile, 2–4(–7)-rayed, 0.2–0.6 mm.

Cauline leaves

4–20, rarely concealing stem;

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

(10–)13–52, often concealing stem proximally;

blade auricles 1–5 mm, surfaces of distalmost leaves glabrous.

Racemes

14–66-flowered, sparingly branched.

16–88-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.

divaricate at anthesis;

sepals glabrous or pubescent;

petals usually white, rarely lavender, 5.5–8 × 1–2 mm, glabrous;

pollen spheroid.

Fruiting pedicels

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

divaricate-ascending to descending, usually gently curved downward, rarely straight, 5–22(–30) 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.

divaricate-ascending to pendent, not appressed to rachis, not secund, straight or slightly curved, edges parallel, 3.5–9 cm × 1–1.8 mm;

valves glabrous;

ovules 84–146 per ovary;

style 0.05–0.5 mm.

Seeds

uniseriate, 0.7–1.1 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

not winged.

uniseriate to sub-biseriate, 1–1.8 × 0.8–1.2 mm;

wing continuous, 0.1–0.25 mm wide.

2n

= 21.

Boechera dentata

Boechera grahamii

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Bluffs and rocky ledges, wooded slopes, floodplains Rocky slopes and sandy soil in prairies and open forests
Elevation 100-300 m (300-1000 ft) 100-3200 m (300-10500 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
AK; CO; MI; MN; MT; ND; NY; SD; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT
[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 grahamii is an apomictic species that arose through hybridization between B. collinsii and B. stricta. Previous authors have assigned these specimens to Arabis (Boechera) divaricarpa (see M. D. Windham and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 2007b for detailed comparison); if these taxa are treated as conspecific, the name B. grahamii has priority.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 373. FNA vol. 7, p. 382.
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. gracilenta, B. gracilipes, 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 Turritis grahamii, Arabis boivinii, Arabis bourgovii, Arabis confinis, Arabis confinis var. brachycarpa, Arabis dacotica, Arabis divaricarpa var. dacotica, Arabis divaricarpa var. hemicylindrica, Arabis divaricarpa var. stenocarpa, Arabis drummondii var. brachycarpa, Arabis holboellii var. brachycarpa, B. brachycarpa, Turritis brachycarpa
Name authority (Rafinesque) Al-Shehbaz & Zarucchi: Harvard Pap. Bot. 13: 293. (2008) (Lehmann) Windham & Al-Shehbaz: Harvard Pap. Bot. 12: 241. (2007)
Web links