Common name:
Shockley's rockcress
Family:
Scientific name:
Boechera shockleyi
Synonym:
Arabis shockleyi
Main flower color:
Range:
Nevada, southeast California and west Utah
Height:
Between 8 and 20 inches
Habitat:
Rocky places in mountains, scrubland, pinyon-juniper woodland; 4,000 to 6,500 feet
Leaves:
Oblanceolate, grey-green, up to 2 inches long and a third of an inch wide
Season:
April to May
Leaves of boechera shockleyi appear grey-green due to a dense, even covering of short, branched hairs; the hairs (trichomes) are divided into between 7 and 12 rays. Leaves grow outwards around the base, forming a rosette, and thickly, all the way up most of the stem, where they are angled upwards, and overlapping, obscuring the stem surface; there may be up to 60 cauline leaves per plant. Stems are unbranched, grow vertically upwards, and have a similar hair covering.
The inflorescence is an elongated cluster at the top of the stem, containing between 20 and 70 flowers. Flowers are borne on stalks up to one inch long, angled upwards. Sepals are reddish, with a short hair covering, while the petals are pale lavender, around a third of an inch long. The reddish green fruits are long (up to 4 inches), linear, gently curved and very thin, less than 0.1 inches in diameter.
The inflorescence is an elongated cluster at the top of the stem, containing between 20 and 70 flowers. Flowers are borne on stalks up to one inch long, angled upwards. Sepals are reddish, with a short hair covering, while the petals are pale lavender, around a third of an inch long. The reddish green fruits are long (up to 4 inches), linear, gently curved and very thin, less than 0.1 inches in diameter.
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