Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Boechera pauciflora
Columbia rockcress, few-flowered rockcress, small-flowered rockcress
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia o California, east to Montana and Utah.

Habitat: Sagebrush and ponderosa pine openings.

Flowers: April-June

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Biennial, Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bees, flies, butterflies

Description:
General:

Short-lived perennial from a usually branched crown, the 1-several stems simple or branched above, 3-10 dm. tall, densely hairy below with stalked, branched to stellate hairs, usually glabrous above.

Leaves:

Basal leaves numerous, 2-9 cm. long and 2-8 mm. broad, oblanceolate, the blade few-toothed to entire, densely hairy at least below with cross-shaped or stellate hairs, narrowed to a slender petiole; cauline leaves numerous, linear lanceolate to oblanceolate, 2-8 cm. long and 2-6 mm. broad, mostly auriculate and entire.

Flowers:

Inflorescence a many-flowered raceme; pedicels 5-14 mm. long, glabrous to stellate; sepals 4, 3-6 mm. long, the outer 2 slightly gibbous-based; petals 4, white to deep red-violet, 6-14 mm. long; stamens 6; style none.

Fruits:

Siliques 4-12 mm. long and 1.5-2 mm. broad, glabrous, 1-nerved nearly full length, curved, spreading to ascending; seeds in 1 series, 1.5-2 mm. long, with a wing up to 0.5 mm. broad.

Accepted Name:
Boechera pauciflora (Nutt.) Windham & Al-Shehbaz
Publication: Harvard Pap. Bot. 11: 268. 2007.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Arabis sparsiflora Nutt. var. columbiana (Macoun) Rollins [HC]
Arabis sparsiflora Nutt. var. subvillosa (S. Watson) Rollins [HC]
Boechera holboellii (Hornem.) Á. Löve & D. Löve, misapplied [FNA7]
Boechera pinetorum (Tidestr.) Windham & Al-Shehbaz, misapplied [FNA7, HC2]
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Boechera pauciflora in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database

WA Flora Checklist: Boechera pauciflora checklist entry

OregonFlora: Boechera pauciflora information

E-Flora BC: Boechera pauciflora atlas page

CalPhotos: Boechera pauciflora photos

69 photographs:
Group by