Scientific Family
Brassicaceae
Synonyms
Boechera fendleri, Boechera holboellii var. fendleri
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Similar species
Arabis gracilipes
Height
10 to 24 inches
Riparian
No
Woody taprooted or branched woody base, stems 1 to several per base branch, arising from the center or side of basal leaves near the ground surface; basal leaves, perched on the woody branches at the base.
Tall stems above basal leaves, <20 alternate leaves clasp the stem; leaves broadest at tip, hairs simple or 2-forked, margins hairy; flowers white to pinkish-purple, sepals green to purplish; fruits long narrow pods, hairless, hang from stems.
Habitat
Gravelly soils, rocky slopes, and roadsides; in sagebrush, pinyon-juniper woodlands, open conifer forests, and subalpine meadows.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
5000
High elevation
8000
Flower Characteristics
Terminal spike-like clusters of 6 to 75 upward-pointing flowers; 4 petals in a cross formation, petals white to pinkish-purple, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long; 4 sepals, greenish to dull lavender, sparsely hairy. Flowers ascend.
Flower color
White to pinkish-purple
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
June
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Lower leaves narrow, 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide, with simple or 2-forked hairs, surfaces coarsely hairy, and forming basal rosette; upper leaves smaller, sessile, auriculate (ear-like lobes clasping the stem), usually smooth with hairs near their tip.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
Yes
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit upright when floral parts still attached, but droop to horizontal and often droop even more to a declining position. Sometimes with withered flowers still at their bases and persistent female flower parts.
Fruit type
Capsule
Seeds wingless or with a narrow wing, 2 rows in each cell.